Batman & Benson 2
by Mcfergeson
Summary: Olivia Benson is caught up in another epic adventure with the Batman as Gotham City faces a terrible threat. But this time, they encounter the mysterious flying man from Metropolis.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note (let's get the legal stuff out of the way first, shall we?):_

_Olivia Benson, Alex Cabot, Elliot Stabler, John Munch, Fin Tutuola Casey Novak and Don Cragen were all created by Dick Wolf. The characters of Law & Order: SVU are owned by Wolf Films and NBC/Universal._

_The Batman was created by the late, great Bob Kane. Batman/Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, The Joker, The Riddler and all associated characters from the Batman universe are owned by DC Comics, which is owned by Time/Warner. _

_Superman was created by the late, great Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Superman/Clark Kent, Supergirl, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and all other associated characters from the Superman universe are owned by DC Comics, which is owned by Time/Warner. _

_I'm not making any money off of this story. It was written just for fun. _

_This story, along with Batman & Benson, exists in its own, alternate universe. Here, Alex Cabot is still being hunted by the drug dealers. And for the shippers: this is very much an Olivia/Alex story. This story takes place several months after the SVU episode "Fault". _

**Batman & Benson 2**

**One**

**"The Approaching Darkness"**

"I see somebody now," Donnie said into his cell phone. He stood in the shadows, watching a blond woman cross the street. She walked briskly in the night air, making for the South Side Women's Shelter that was directly across the street from him. When she passed under a streetlight, Donnie pulled out the photo of Alexandra Cabot and held it up, comparing it to the woman. "Yeah, that's her. That's Cabot. Ok, we have a confirmation of the target. Pass it on."

Donnie shut the phone off and put it away. He stared at Cabot as she nervously entered the building. They could have just popped her right now in the street, but nobody was in position yet. Besides, Donnie wanted to wait until she was inside. If he was correct, Cabot's office was the one on the top floor, with the big window facing the street. And blowing her pretty blonde head off while she sat at her desk would make for a really juicy hit.

A mob hit man since he was sixteen, Donnie always enjoyed expressing himself through the more artistic side of his profession. He preferred the hit that made a statement, such as stuffing pennies down the throat of a man who owed money to his bookie, or drowning the crooked councilmember who was an avid swimmer. He was a big fan of irony, and used it often to accent his work, much like a chef uses seasoning in a soup. He became known to many in his line of work as The Stylist.

Cabot was one of these goody two shoes who was a staunch victim's rights advocate for women. She ran this shelter, and offered help to any woman who needed it in Gotham City. Donnie smiled at the image of Cabot's brains being splattered all over the walls of her office. The residents of her precious women's shelter would probably go running screaming in the streets after seeing that sight. The result of her hit would be a women's shelter that was no longer safe; oh yes, that would be most ironic indeed.

Donnie nodded to himself when he saw a light come on in the window on the top floor. He pulled out a pair of small binoculars and smiled as he watched Cabot take a seat at her desk, her back facing the window. 'Jeez, this is gonna be too easy!' he thought.

He pulled out his cell phone and hit redial. Yet there was no answer; the phone just kept ringing. "Dammit, Gus," he whispered, "where the hell are you?"

"Gus is indisposed for the moment," a dark voice said from the shadows behind him. It was so cold and inhuman sounding that it made the tiny hairs on Donnie's neck stand straight up in fear. "Just as you soon will be."

Donnie had a Colt .45 caliber handgun tucked in a holster under his left armpit. Years of experience made him a lightning-quick draw, even with his jacket buttoned. His hand instantly reached for the gun and pulled it out before he could even think about it.

But he still wasn't fast enough.

Donnie was punched hard across the face, the force of the blow knocking the gun out of his hand. He was so stunned by the attack that Donnie abruptly discovered he was sprawled out on the sidewalk before he even realized he had fallen down. He stared up at the streetlamp that hung over him, blinking to refocus his blurry vision, and wondered who--or what--had just assaulted him.

The answer came when a shadowy figure loomed over him. It was a hulking dark creature with two pointy ears on the top of its head.

"Oh God, no," Donnie whimpered in fear. "Y-You're not real! You're just a m-myth!"

The creature reached out and grabbed Donnie by the throat. It effortlessly hauled him up off the ground with one arm. The creature leaned its head close to Donnie's face.

"Let's talk," it whispered to him in that ungodly voice.

Donnie let out a shrill scream as the ground beneath him rapidly fell away. The Bat-creature had taken flight in the night skies, with Donnie at his mercy like a field mouse caught in the talons of a hawk.

**B&B**

'What the hell was that?' Alex Cabot thought, as she spun around in her seat. She stared out the window, her eyes wide and fearful behind her glasses.

Removing her glasses, Alex stood up for a better look out the window. From what she could see in the illumination from the streetlamps, Alex couldn't see anything amiss on the street below.

'That was weird,' she thought with a frown. 'For a second there, I thought I heard somebody screaming out here.'

Alex was so busy looking for trouble out her window that she never noticed the bright red spot--created by a pin-point laser--that appeared on her chest.

**B&B**

'He's about ready,' Batman thought.

Donald Harman, a.k.a. The Stylist, hung upside down by his ankles over a five story drop. The pants of his fine Armani suit were soiled with urine as he babbled incoherently about god, the devil and the high price of redemption.

Batman had tied Harman's ankles to a support beam above them. He reached out and grabbed the man by the back of the neck. Pulling Harman close enough so that they were face to face, Batman said, "Who are you working for?"

"No! I can't tell you!" Harman cried. "He'll kill me!"

"That'll be a walk in the park compared to what I'm going to do to you," Batman snarled. "TELL ME HIS NAME!"

Yet Harman shook his head. "I can't! I swear, I can't!"

"Do you worship God?" Batman abruptly asked.

"Wha--? Uh, yeah, I do," Harman said, looking confused.

"Then start praying," Batman said, "because you're about to meet Him!"

With that Batman gave Harman a strong shove, which swung the bound man right over the five story drop like a human pendulum. Harman let out a wild scream until Batman caught him when he swung back. He was never in any real danger of falling, but in his frenzied, disoriented state, Harman didn't know that.

"Who are you working for?" Batman demanded once more. "Tell me, or I won't bother to catch you next time!"

"Boss Thorne!" Harman cried. "I'm working for Boss Thorne! He hired me to kill the Cabot broad!"

Batman was so stunned he took a step backwards. 'Rupert Thorne?' he thought with amazement. 'Why would the crime boss of Gotham City want Alex Cabot dead?' Another disconcerting thing was the fact that they knew Alex's real name; her cover as Nora Bradshaw was effectively blown.

Still, he had to make sure. "Don't you dare lie to me!" Batman warned.

"I'm not lying!" Harman insisted. "The three of us were sent by Thorne tonight to scope out Cabot, and if we could do the hit now, we would have done--"

"The three of you?" Batman said, startled.

Harman let out another scream as Batman released him, letting him swing back over the five story drop. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

Batman ignored him as he somersaulted onto the roof of a water tower. It was the tallest structure in the neighborhood, which offered the best vantage point to search for an assassin. He only prayed that he wasn't too late.

'There he is!' Batman thought, as he spotted the man on the roof of a building a few doors over. He was hunched down along the edge of the building aiming a gun across the street.

Batman dove down from the water tower, spreading out his cape to slow his fall like a parachute. When he hit the roof, he rolled his body to absorb the impact of landing. He sprung up into a full run, his cape flowing out behind him, yet Batman realized that he still wouldn't reach the assassin in time.

**B&B**

'Damn, what a waste,' Lonnie Mitchell thought, as he watched the woman in the office through the sniper sight on the rifle. 'This Cabot chick is a real babe!'

"Oh well," he muttered, as he placed a finger on the rifle's trigger. "At least she won't suffer."

Yet just as he pulled the trigger, something struck the gun, blowing his shot. Lonnie was stunned to see a metallic silver dart in the shape of a bat sticking out of the wooden stock of the rifle. He was further stunned to see the Batman diving off the ledge of the adjoining building, bearing down right on top of him.

Lonnie tried to bring the rifle up to fire, but by the time he even thought of that idea, Batman's boot connected with his face, instantly knocking him unconscious.

**B&B**

'Ok, now I know I just heard gunfire,' Alex anxiously thought, as she reached for the phone on her desk.

Marguerite Pena entered Alex's office with a frantic look on her face. "There's a demon crawling along the top of the building across the street!"

Alex paused to shake her head before calling 911. One of Alex's first cases in the women's shelter, Marguerite soon became a trusted friend who now worked alongside her as a counselor. Although she was fantastic at her work (after all, who would know better at counseling battered women than a former battered woman herself?) Marguerite was an extremely superstitious woman.

"Marguerite, you know full well there's no such thing as demons," Alex patiently explained.

Yet Marguerite stood pointing at the window with a look of terror on her face. "NORA!" she screamed, using Alex's undercover name, "RUN!"

And then she took off down the hall, running faster than an Olympic sprinter.

"Marguerite, wait! What the--?" Alex called after her assistant. Then she abruptly hesitated when she felt a strong breeze blowing in from behind her.

'But I always keep the window shut,' Alex thought, as she slowly turned around to see what it could be.

Alex let out an involuntary yelp when she saw the large dark monster hunched on her windowsill. Then she realized that it was the Batman, although that still didn't do much to soothe her nerves.

"You're not safe here," he said firmly. "You're coming with me."

"What?" Alex meekly asked. "Um…you mean right now?"

**B&B**

"Starting at 12:01 this morning, 911 will connect rape calls directly to the Gotham City Police Special Victim's Unit," Commissioner James Gordon said to the assembled detectives and uniformed officers of the new SVU. "It's been a long road for all of us, resulting in the formation of this squad, and I would just like to thank all of you for taking up the challenge. I have complete faith in each and every one of you. I'd also like to give special thanks to Olivia Benson for all of her help, advice and support in the creation of this squad. Thanks Olivia!"

Olivia felt herself blush when the entire Gotham City SVU squad burst into raucous applause for her. They were a great bunch of guys and gals, and Olivia almost pitied the sex crime perpetrators of Gotham City from this moment onward.

"That's all I have to say--except that you've got a few hours before the squad officially begins operating," Gordon said. "So I'd suggest you'd get some chow."

The SVU squad began to break up to catch dinner and make other plans before the start of their shift in a few hours. Commissioner Gordon came over and shook Olivia's hand. "Just wanted to thank you once again, Olivia. For all your help."

"It was my pleasure, sir," Olivia said with a smile. "You've got a great group here. The perps won't know what hit them."

"If Gotham City has a supreme SVU, it's thanks largely to the woman who put the team together and trained them," Gordon said. "Namely you. Which brings me to something else I'd like to bring up with you, Olivia."

Olivia had been dreading this moment for the longest time, now. While the training of the GPD SVU had been going on for the last two months, she had served as its acting commander. She took some much-needed time off from the NYPD to do this special assignment. But now that the 'shake down cruise' was over, so to speak, and the team was ready to hit the streets, it was crunch time. The new SVU needed a full-time commander, and Gordon had made no bones about how badly he wanted Olivia to run it.

Yet perhaps the thing that scared Olivia the most was the fact that she never really had any desire to return to New York City, let alone go back to the NYPD. Now faced with the major decision of staying or leaving, Olivia no longer had the privilege of avoiding her feelings, which she had kept buried for the better part of the time she'd spent in Gotham City.

When she saw Gordon staring at her intently, Olivia abruptly realized that she had been absently rubbing the scar from the old knife wound on her neck the whole time she had been lost in thought.

"Is that still bothering you?" he asked, concerned.

"It itches," Olivia said. "It's not a problem."

"As you well know, we've got a big weekend coming up here," Gordon said. "In addition to the police convention, we're also hosting the Science Fair, as well as a viewing of the Treasures of the Ancient World exhibit at the Gotham Museum."

"That's quite a lot on your plate," Olivia said sympathetically. "But on the bright side, at least Gotham City is finally being seen as a popular tourist destination."

"If only the tourists would just stay home and send the money," Gordon grumbled. "I know you said you would leave once the unit was set up. But I was wondering if you had considered my offer?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about it," Olivia told him. She shook her head. "But I just don't know. I'm sorry sir, I don't mean to jerk you around, but I'm not sure if I'm ready for the responsibility of command just yet."

"I understand, it's a pretty heady thing to just jump into," Gordon said. "But this team has come to know you, Olivia. They all like and trust you tremendously. And, personally, I think you've done a spectacular job so far in dealing with them. I'll tell you what: why don't you remain as acting commander through the weekend? That way, you can be on call if they need your expertise. Then, come Monday, you can give me a decision."

Olivia nodded. It was basically putting off the decision for another few days, but she could live with that for now. "All right. I'd be glad to hang out through the weekend."

"Great," Gordon said with a smile. He pulled something out of his jacket. "Here, take this. It'll help you to cut through the departmental red tape should you need it."

Olivia eyes went wide when she saw he had given her a Gotham City Police badge and I.D. Her eyes grew even wider when Olivia saw her name on the I.D.: Inspector Olivia Benson, GCPD.

'He promoted me!' Olivia thought with shock. 'I actually outrank Cragen now!'

"Um, sir, I really shouldn't--" Olivia started to say.

Yet before she could say any more, Gordon grabbed Olivia's hand and led her over to a young, red-haired girl with glasses who appeared to be no more than thirteen years of age. "Before you leave, Olivia, there's somebody I'd like for you to meet. This is Barbra, my daughter. Barbra, this is Detective Olivia Benson."

"Oh, hello!" Barbra Gordon said, grinning broadly as she stepped forward to pump Olivia's hand. She looked a little starry-eyed. "It's so cool meeting you!"

The kid was so adorable that Olivia couldn't help but burst into a broad smile. "Well, it's really cool meeting you, Barbara!"

"Barbara has been aching to meet you for the longest time, Olivia," Gordon said with a smile.

"I wanna be a cop," Barbra told Olivia. "And I was hoping you'd give me some advice."  
Gordon looked as if he had burst a blood vessel. "A cop! I thought you wanted to be a gymnast, Barb?"

"I'm already a gymnast, daddy," Barbra said, with a roll of her eyes. "Been there, done that! I've decided that I want to do what you do, Olivia, which is protect and help people."

"Well, yeah, that's great," Olivia said. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Gordon removed his glasses and was rubbing his eyes in a dismal manner. Apparently he didn't want his daughter to follow his tracks and become a cop--not that she blamed him, for being a police officer was a rough job. "But maybe you should listen to your father for advice, Barbra. After all, he's the police commisioner, and who would know better about police work than him?"

"Yeah, but…he's a man," Barbra said, leaning forward to whisper that fact to Olivia. "I thought you could give me some advice on what's it like being a really cool female cop…since, y'know, you're already one yourself!"

Olivia had found herself at a loss for words, and was actually grateful when Detective Renee Montoya entered the squad room and interrupted their conversation. "Commissioner, you should turn on the local news right now. They're talking about the Batman."

Olivia, Gordon, Montoya and Barbra went into the SVU commander's office ('Which is now my office!' Olivia abruptly realized), and turned on the TV. When Gordon switched it over to the news, local reporter Summer Gleeson was interviewing Marguerite Pena, who was busy making the sign of the cross on her chest as she spoke: "And he had fangs, these long, bloodied fangs that hung from his mouth! Oh, I shouldn't have left Nora alone--but I thought she was running right behind me! That monster must have grabbed her and flew right out of the office with her! I just hope he doesn't hurt poor Nora!"

'Alex!' Olivia thought anxiously.

"Thank you, Ms. Pena," Gleeson said, as her image filled the TV screen. "And there we have it, Rob. An eyewitness account of how the Batman has abducted Nora Bradshaw, the Southside Angel. Why? We don't know, but we only hope she's still alive. Further updates to come as soon as we get them. This is Summer Gleeson, reporting for Gotham News."

"Gleeson, you twit," Gordon derisively muttered under his breath.

"Harvey's on the scene right now," Montoya said, "and they picked up a trio of guys that Batman left behind, all tied up. One of them is The Stylist, a noted mob hit man."

'Jesus, what happened?' Olivia frantically wondered. 'Is Alex all right?'

Olivia knew Alex was safe with the Batman. But was she hurt? Was Batman able to help her in time?

She had become so lost in thought that Olivia was shocked to feel Gordon's hand gently touch her shoulder. "No matter what happened, Olivia," he whispered, "she couldn't be in better hands right now."

Olivia nodded. That much was certainly true. "I know. Thanks."

"I was wondering if you'd do me a favor?" Gordon asked. "Take Barb up to my office? I've got some things to co-ordinate right now."

"Of course," Olivia said.

"Barb, why don't you go with Olivia and wait for me in my office?" Gordon asked. He turned to Olivia and added, "I'll let you know what I find out."

Barbra was strangely quiet on the elevator ride up to Gordon's office. Olivia thought she would have jumped at this chance to pepper her with dozens of questions about police work. When they entered Gordon's office, Barbra regarded her solemnly and said, "Is Ms. Bradshaw a friend of yours, Olivia?"

"Yes, she is," Olivia said, taken aback.

Barbra came over and squeezed her hand. "It'll be all right, Olivia. My dad's the head of a great police department. I'm sure he'll find Ms. Bradshaw safe and sound."

Olivia was amazed to hear such a mature gesture of reassurance from someone so young. 'She's not only very perceptive, but a very kind and thoughtful young woman,' Olivia thought, impressed. 'And she's all of thirteen!'

"Thank you very much, Barbra," Olivia said, touched. "I really appreciate it."

Barbra's expression changed to that of anger. "Hopefully they also be able to capture that awful Batman and put him in jail where he belongs."

"You don't like Batman?" Olivia asked, surprised.

Barbra shook her head with disgust. "Daddy says he isn't a monster, like everybody says. He's supposed to be just a regular guy, but he still has no business doing the police's job. He's a dangerous, psychotic vigilante, and should be locked away in Arkam Asylum."

Olivia stared at the girl, stunned. She wanted to blurt out that not only did the Batman save her life, but that Barbra's own father worked with the Dark Knight in a close personal relationship. Still, she held her tongue, it was not Olivia's business to create a wedge between Barbra and her father.

Her cell phone rang, and when Olivia excused herself to answer it, she heard a deep, rich voice that resonated with a British accent on the other end. "Good evening, Olivia. And how are you this fine night?"

"Alfred," Olivia said with relief. She discreetly turned away from Barbra, who sat reading a magazine at her father's desk. "I was just about to call you."

"Yes, it would be in relation to your lost kitty, I assume?" Alfred said.

'Kitty? What the hell--?' Olivia began to think, until she realized that Alfred was speaking in code. The 'Kitty' obviously referred to Alex. "Oh, uh, yeah, have you guys seen her?"

"Indeed. Master Bruce found her and brought her here."

"Is 'kitty' all right?"

"She's a bit shaken up, but perfectly fine," Alfred assured her. "You are most welcome to come see her."

"I'm tied up here at police headquarters right now," Olivia told him. "But as soon as I can get away, I'll be right over."

"Drop by at any time, no matter how late," Alfred told her. "Master Bruce is something of a night owl, so he'll be up."

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle at that last comment. "Yeah, so I've heard. I'll be over as soon as I can. Thanks again Alfred."

Just as Olivia ended the call, Gordon entered his office with Detective Montoya at that moment. "Barbra, honey, I'm sorry, but I have to deal with some stuff here tonight. Detective Montoya will drive you home, ok?"

"Ok, daddy," Barbra said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk further," Olivia told her. "It was a real pleasure to meet you, Barbra."

"Daddy says you'll be in town all weekend," Barbra said hopefully. "Maybe we could meet up sometime?"

"Olivia's attending the police convention here in town," Gordon said, "you'll probably see her there, Barb."

"Yeah, that would be great," Olivia sincerely said. She really liked this kid, and looked forward to spending some time with her.

After they bid Barbra and Montoya a good night, Gordon turned to Olivia and said, "I have to get going, as well. I'm meeting Harvey at the crime scene."

"I'm gonna head home," Olivia said. She hated lying to Gordon, but she couldn't very well tell him that she was really on her way to the home of the Batman. "If you hear anything more about Alex, please give me a call on my cell."

"Will do, but I may be calling you late," Gordon warned.

"That's ok, I'm a night owl," Olivia said.

'Just like a certain multi-millionaire playboy I know,' Olivia thought with a smile as she left the office.

**B&B**

"Hey, Riddler!"

Edward Nygma let out an annoyed groan as he glanced up from the computer with disgust. He glared at the fat man who stood in the doorway of his workspace. His name was Herby and he was one of Boss Thorne's favorite lackeys. Back in the day, the elderly Herby used to be a gangster of some renown in Gotham City. He took the then-up and coming Rupert Thorne under his wing, until one night a heist went wrong, and Herby wound up suffering a head injury that left him with diminished mental capacity.

When Rupert Thorne began his rise to power as the supreme mobster--the boss of bosses--in Gotham City, he brought Herby with him. Herby wasn't a confidant per se; he barely had enough mental power to remember to tie his shoe laces, much less advise Thorne on the day to day operations of his criminal empire. But he was always at Thorne's side as his major domo of sorts; getting tea and the morning paper for the crime boss, along with whatever mindless chores Thorne could think up for him to do.

'Who knew the ruthless Rupert Thorne ever had a soft spot?' Nygma thought, amused. 'It only proves the bastard has a weakness after all.'

"You know why I call you Riddler, right?" Herby said, as he entered Nygma's with an ear to ear grin.

"It's because I always speak in riddles," Nygma said wearily, repeating the oft-told answer to a question that this mental midget asked nearly every single day. "Is that why you've decided to interrupt my work, Herby? To remind me about why you call me Riddler?"

Herby's grin faded as he stared dumbfounded at Nygma for a moment. Then his face lit up as he recalled the actual reason why he came here. "Oh yeah! Boss Thorne wants to see ya, Riddler."

"Yes, I expect he would like to see me," Nygma said with a small smile, as he switched off the computer and got up from the desk. As they strode out of his office, Nygma glanced behind him and saw Herby had left the door open. "When is a door not a door, Herby?"

Herby paused and gave him another confused look. "What?"

"When it's ajar," Nygma said, pointing at the opened door. "You forgot to close my door. Please do so."

"Oh, yeah, sure, Riddler!" Herby said, as he brought the door to a close behind him. "Hey, that's exactly what I mean, y'know? You're always talking in riddles!"

"Life is but a riddle, Herby," Nygma muttered, "and it's just waiting for us to figure it out."

Herby let out a laugh. "Whatever you say, Riddler!"

'Whatever I say,' Nygma thought with a slight smile. 'If things go according to plan, then that will indeed be the case around here very soon.'

Herby led Nygma to a spacious sun room that was on the east wing of Thorne's huge mansion. Thorne himself sat in a large chair in the center of the room, looking much like the king of the underworld that he was seated on his throne. He beckoned Nygma over to him with an expensive Cuban cigar in his hand. Thorne was a large, imposing man who had a mane of silver hair and was dressed in one of the finest-tailored suits that money can buy.

Thorne held up a cup. "Herby, do me a favor and refill this, will you?"

"Sure thing, Mr. Thorne!" Herby said, as he eagerly took the cup and ran into the adjoining room with it.

Thorne glared at Nygma as though he were a bug. "Riddler, I hired you to crack the codes on the vaults at the Treasures of the Ancient World exhibit over a week ago, and I still haven't heard anything from you! You're supposed to be one of the world's best encryption and lock-breaking experts, and yet it's taking you forever to get us access into those vaults!"

Nygma groaned inwardly at the fact that, thanks to Herby, Thorne was now starting to call him by that stupid Riddler nickname as well. "Respectfully, Mr. Thorne, but I do not need to be reminded of why you hired me. However, you do appear to be needing a reminder of the fact that my work is a demanding and tasking art form and, as such, it takes time."

"Time!" Thorne roared. "At this rate, by the time you you'll finally be able to crack those vaults, the damned exhibition will be over!"

Before Nygma could reply, Rocco, one of Thorne's other goons, burst into the room. Herby followed behind him with a sheepish look on his face. "I'm sorry, Boss, but he insisted on seeing ya!"

"I'm taking a private meeting, Rocco," Thorne said, his tone sounding dangerous, "what part of that don't you understand?"

"Sorry, Boss Thorne," Rocco said apologetically. "But I've got news from our police informants that you'll wanna hear!"

"What is it?" Thorne grumbled.

"The Stylist, and two of our boys, just got pinched by the cops," Rocco said. "Actually, he got grabbed by the Batman, who turned them over to the cops."

"WHAT?" Thorne said, stunned.

"He was gunning for that Southside Angel broad," Rocco added. Then he glanced nervously at the ground. "A-And, that's not all, boss…."

"Well, spit it out, already!" Thorne demanded. "What is it?"

"They're saying that you were the one who ordered the hit on the Southside Angel," Rocco said anxiously.

Thorne's eyes were so wide with shock that they looked like they were going to fall out. "The hell they talking about? I never ordered any hit on that Southside Angel broad! She's just one of them charity do-gooders, why the hell would I want her dead!"

"The Stylist went after her, along with two of our boys as backup," Rocco said with a feeble shrug. "The Batman caught them, and--"

"The Batman!" Thorne said with disgust. "Things have never been the same in this city since that winged-freak showed up! As if dealing with that goody-two shoes Commissioner Gordon wasn't enough of a headache for me!"

"Perhaps I should leave," Nygma said gently, "for it appears you've now got bigger problems to contend with."

"Yeah, get out of here Riddler!" Thorne barked. "Get back to work, and light a fire under it, will ya!"

Nygma nodded obediently as he left the sun room. He strode down the hallway, listening to Thorne ranting and raving behind him, and a smile crept across Nygma's face. By the time he got back to his office and shut the door, the smile on his face had turned into a broad grin. The Stylist had been stopped by none other than the Batman, and Rupert Thorne has been blamed for the assassination attempt on the Southside Angel--A.K.A. Nora Bradshaw, A.K.A. Alexandra Cabot.

'Wonderful!' Nygma thought happily. 'Everything is going exactly according to my plan….'

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Riddles & Visitors

_A/N: I'd just like to thank those who gave me some very nice reviews for the first chapter. Thanks so much!_

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Two**

**"Riddles & Visitors"**

'Where is he?' Commissioner Gordon wondered, as he scanned the night skies over Gotham City. The blackness was pierced by the bright, stabbing light of the Bat-Signal, which projected a large black bat against the curtain of night. Gordon stood next to this spotlight on the roof of police headquarters.

Gordon glanced at his watch. 'The Bat-Signal's been lit for almost ten minutes, now,' he thought. 'So why isn't he--'

"Hello, Jim," a voice called to him from the shadows.

"Oh, jeez!" Gordon exclaimed, as his heart felt as though it just did a somersault in his chest. He glanced over and saw the Batman was hunched down on the ledge of the building. "You really enjoy scaring the hell out of me, don't you?"

"Rupert Thorne hired those men to kill Alex Cabot," Batman said. "And they knew her real name, Jim."

"Rupert Thorne?" Gordon said incredulously as he switched off the Bat-Signal. "He put the hit out on Cabot personally?"

"The Stylist told me so himself," Batman said. "I didn't know Thorne worked in league with the drug lords."

"Neither did I," Gordon confessed. "I mean, we knew Thorne allowed drug sales to be made on his turf, so long as he got a cut of the profits. But working so closely with the drug lords to the point where he's doing their dirty work? That's news to me. Speaking of Cabot, where is she?"

"She's safe," Batman said, and from the tone of his voice Gordon knew that was all he would get from the Dark Knight regarding Alex Cabot. The Batman gestured at the Bat-Signal and said, "You called me, Jim?"

"Yeah. We got a letter. I think it was hand-delivered to the mail room, because there was no post-mark on the envelope."

"Who's it from?" Batman asked.

"Don't know," Gordon replied, as he handed Batman a copy of the letter. "It's just signed with a green question mark."

"There are three questions," Batman said, looking over the letter. "The first is: 'What do you get when you call 411?' The second: 'Despite it's beauty, why fear a rose?' And the third: 'What do the beheaded angels in the closed temple have to say?'"

"It's sounds like gibberish to me," Gordon said. "But in this day and age, especially with all the conventions in town now, I didn't want to just ignore it. What do you make of it?"

"They're riddles," Batman said thoughtfully. He handed the letter back to Gordon. "And I think I know what it means. Excuse me, Jim."

"Where are you going?" Gordon asked.

"To see some decapitated angels about a crime boss," Batman replied, just before he jumped off the edge of the building in a graceful dive. He looked for all the world like he was diving into a swimming pool, instead of off the ledge of a seventy story building.

"You're making about as much sense as this letter!" Gordon called after him. Yet when he peered over the ledge, Gordon saw that the Batman was already long gone. It was as if the Dark Knight had vanished into thin air.

'Jeez,' Gordon thought, as he felt a chill run up his back, 'I'm really glad he's on our side!'

**B&B**

When Olivia pulled the car up to the main doorway of Wayne Manor, she saw that Alfred was standing there, already waiting for her.

"Hey, Alfred," Olivia said, as she got out of the car.

"Good evening, Liv," Alfred said with a warm smile. "It's very good to see you again." He chuckled softly when she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "How are things with Gotham City's own Special Victim's Unit?"

"They're done training," she said, as they walked into the manor. "The unit officially goes online at midnight tonight."

"Oh, splendid!" Alfred said. "You must be very proud…as well as sad, since now you shall be leaving them."

"Well, not just yet," Olivia told him, as she flipped open her badge case.

"Inspector Olivia Benson," Alfred said with a pleased smile. "That sounds very nice! Will this be a permanent arrangement?"

"Gordon wants me to stay on as their commander through the weekend. We figured it would be a good idea, since there's the police and science convention, as well as the Ancient Treasures exhibit in town."

"And what about after the weekend?"

"I don't know," Olivia admitted. "Gordon wants me to stay on as the SVU's commander. What do you think I should do, Alfred?"

"That depends, Olivia."

"On what?"

"On what you wish to do," he told her. "That decision can only be made by you. I'm afraid Master Bruce isn't here. He's been called away. But there is someone here to see you: Kitty."

Alfred gestured at the living room entrance, where Alex Cabot stood with a broad smile on her face. Olivia ran into her arms and they embraced warmly.

"When I heard about the attempt on your life, I was so scared!" Olivia said, as she broke from their embrace.

"I have one of the best bodyguards around," Alex told her, smiling. "If not the best…and it's all thanks to you, remember?" She abruptly stared after Alfred, who left the room, and asked, "Did he just call me kitty?"

Olivia laughed. "It was our code name for you when we spoke on the phone earlier. Now tell me everything that happened."

"All I know was that Batman appeared in my office window," Alex said. "He told me that I wasn't safe any longer, and to come with him, which I did. Rupert Thorne put the hit out on me, Liv--can you believe that?"

"No, I don't," Olivia replied. "It's not that I don't believe Batman, I do. But it's just so strange. Thorne is reputed to be one of the major crime lords in the country. Why would he be doing the work of the drug lords? They need Thorne far more than he needs them."

Alex shook her head sadly. "All I know is that my identity here is busted. I don't want to leave Gotham City, Liv. This has become my home, I've put down roots here. I can't leave, anyway--since I'm no longer in the witness protection program. I just don't know what I'm going to do now."

"We'll work something out," Olivia assured her. "Somehow, someway, we'll fix it."

A small smile crept across Alex's face. "I overheard you and Alfred talking. He called you Inspector?"

Olivia flipped open her badge. "Gordon made it official--at least throughout the weekend. I'm the Gotham City Police SVU commander."

"Inspector Olivia Benson," Alex said, sounding impressed as she read off the name on the ID card. "Oh, Liv, that's wonderful!"

"Yeah," Olivia said without much enthusiasm. "I-I'm just staying on in my advisory role, though. I don't think I'm…I'm not…." Her voice trailed off.

Alex gently rubbed her arm. "What is it, Liv?"

"I'm not fit to be a cop anymore," Olivia whispered, her eyes cast down at the floor in shame.

"Oh, Olivia, honey," Alex said. "You can't keep blaming yourself forever!"

"Why not?" Olivia replied. "It was my fault that little boy died."

"No it wasn't," Alex said firmly. "You can't keep doing this to yourself!"

Olivia thought back to little Rebecca Clifford, who stared at her with a pleading look--just before Victor Paul Gitano slashed Olivia's throat with the knife. It wasn't a mortal wound; yet it was enough to allow Gitano to get away long enough to kill Rebecca's brother, Ryan. When next Olivia saw the little boy, he lay dead on the asphalt in the Port Authority bus terminal. If she hadn't allowed herself to be stabbed, if Elliot hadn't stopped to help her, Ryan would still be alive.

"What happened in that bus station was not your fault," Alex insisted.

"Tell that to Ryan Clifford," Olivia muttered darkly.

**B&B**

When Batman saw the church, he nodded. 'That's it.'

St. Peter's Church Of The Divine had been closed down for renovations several years ago, only to be shut for good when the construction crew working inside suffered a major accident. Nobody was hurt, but the accident caused further damage to the interior of the structure that went beyond the budget of what the local parish had to fix it. While the parishioners went and found themselves a smaller, more modern church in another part of town to worship in, this monstrosity--with its towering gothic stonework and intimidating statues of avenging angels battling horrid demons--was left permanently sealed-up in the Iron View section of Gotham City. One of the oldest structures in the city--having first been built when Gotham City was a village in colonial times--St. Peter's received a reputation in recent years as being haunted.

'Hope the ghosts don't mind if I pay a visit,' Batman thought, as he shot a cable across the street. Once the end was securely hooked around the top of one of the church steeples, Batman effortlessly swung across the street and landed on the roof of St. Peter's.

Gaining access through the skylight, Batman slowly descended into the church. It was a dark, cavernous place, with abandoned scaffolding looking like skeletal remains. Batman clicked on the night vision lenses within his cowl, and glanced up at a row of angelic statues, just above the pews. The renovation crew had dislodged an old support beam, which swung down and knocked all the heads off of the statutes--in effect, decapitating them.

Batman recalled the first riddle in the note: 'What do you get when you call 411?'

"Information," he said softly, answering the riddle.

The second riddle was: 'Despite it's beauty, why fear a rose?'

"Because of its thorns."

And the third: 'What do the beheaded angels in the closed temple have to say?'

Batman glanced up at the row of beheaded angel statues and murmured: "Let's find out."

After he climbed up into the mini-alcove, Batman immediately noticed the package that rested in the lap of one of the decapitated angels. The overall riddle was exactly what he figured: 'Information about Boss Thorn will be found by the beheaded angel statues in the closed church.'

Still, he was careful to check the package out for a booby trap before he handled it. Once assured that it was clean, Batman picked up the package--which was plain, save for a green question mark on one side--and opened it.

Inside was a homemade CD, along with still photos, all of Rupert Thorne.

'Interesting,' Batman thought, as he looked over the material. 'Very interesting….'

**B&B**

"Hey Smallville, you asleep?"

"No, Lois," Clark Kent said, as he glanced over at her with a smile. "Just enjoying the view."

"What view?" Lois Lane said with a frown. She gestured at the darkness beyond the train they rode in. "It's nighttime out there."

"Just because it's dark," Clark said, as he meekly adjusted his glasses, "doesn't always mean you can't see anything."

"Well, listen to the philosopher!" Lois said with a smirk.

"What? You don't believe me?" Clark asked mildly.

Lois leaned over to him and whispered, "Actually, I don't believe how calm you've been lately. If I've been saddled with babysitting a teenage cousin at the last minute like you, I would have gone nuts!"

"Linda's a great kid," he said.

"Don't get me wrong, she's a doll!" Lois told him. "I didn't mean to imply she wasn't. But, you've got to admit, Clark, that she can be a little rambunctious at times."

"Yes, she can," Clark agreed with a heavy sigh. "But she's young--just fifteen--and being rambunctious comes with the territory, I guess. I suppose you were pretty rambunctious at that age, too, Lois."

"Oh God, you have no idea," Lois said, shaking her head. "My poor mother! The things I put her through!"

"Really?" Clark said, as he smiled broadly. He eagerly leaned forward. "Do tell!"

Lois waved a hand at him. "When hell freezes over, Smallville!"

"Hold that pose!" Jimmy Olsen said. He stood in the isle, holding a camera up in his hands. "I want to get a shot of the happy couple."

"Jimmy, would you please stop wasting film?" Lois chided him, as she blinked her eyes in annoyance from the flash. "We're not even in Gotham City yet!"

"It's a digital camera," Jimmy told her. "The Chief…uh, I mean, Mr. White wanted me to try taking some shots with it as a test. I've still got my film cameras with me, as well. I really hope I can get a good shot of the Batman! Hey, Ms. Lane, you've been in Gotham City before, what's it like?"

"Dark, dank and overcrowded," she replied blandly.

"I guess Gotham City won't be hiring you to write their tourism fliers," Clark retorted. He glanced up at Jimmy and added, "I thought Linda was with you."

"She was, but she wanted to spend a little more time in the observation car," Jimmy replied.

"I think I'll join her," Clark said, as he got up. "I'd like to stretch my legs, anyway. Lois was just about to tell me about her rambunctious youth, Jim. Maybe she'll regale you with some of her sordid tales."

"Ah, yes," Jimmy said, with a faraway look in his eyes, "I recall the wild, rambunctious days of my youth, as well."

"Who are you kidding, Jimmy," Lois muttered. "What are you, twenty? You're still a wild, rambunctious youth right now!"

"Whatever you say, Ms. Lane," Jimmy said, his face blushing.

**B&B**

Clark went to the observation car and found his cousin Kara sitting by herself at the far end, gazing out the massive skylight that displayed the starry skies above. He took a moment to regard the young woman, and marveled at how Kara appeared for all the world to be just another fifteen year old girl. She had come a long way from being the lone survivor whom he'd found in suspended animation in the ruins of Argo City several months ago. For Kara, making the adjustment to living on Earth was even harder than Clark had it; for while he grew up here, she was a transplanted Kryptonian, with full memories of her previous life. And yet Kara managed to fit into earth society seamlessly within the short time she was here, making Clark extremely proud of her for that.

When he strode up to her, Kara smiled at him and said, "This thing--this train--is so slow! You know, if we really wanted, you and I could be in Gotham City right now, Kal-El."

"Don't call me that," Clark said in a heated whisper. "Remember, when I'm dressed like this--"

"--your name is Clark Kent," Kara said with a weary nod of her head. "Just like my name is now Linda. Yes, sorry, cousin! I forgot." She stood up and faced him. "I've got to say, knowing who you really are, and what you're capable of, it's really strange seeing you like this, Kal--um, Clark. You try so hard to fit in with these people, and although you and I look like them, we can never truly be them."

"Trust me, we need a break from being who we truly are. That was the main reason I assumed this guise."

"Oh, really?" Kara said with a broad smile. "You sure it's not because you can be close to Lois?"

Clark frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Cuz," Kara said with a giggle. "Don't be coy with me! I can see how much you really like her."

"Of course I like Lois," Clark said patiently. "She's a good friend of mine and a great reporter."

"Right," Kara said with a smug look. "Whatever you say, Mr. Kent."

The darkness of the countryside outside the windows was replaced by the bright lights of the outskirts of Gotham City. "Come on, we should be arriving soon," Clark said, grateful for the change of subject. "Let's get back to Lois and Jimmy so we can get ready to disembark."

"You pack your work clothes?" Kara whispered excitedly.

Clark couldn't help but smile. 'Work clothes' was Kara's term for the supersuits that they wore. He fashioned a suit for Kara out of the leftover material he had from his own supersuit. That very same material came from the blankets and clothing that his parents had sent with him in the ship that carried him to Earth when he was an infant. "Yes, I have it. I'm not expecting trouble, but I'd like to be ready for it, just in case."

"Yeah, me too," Kara said. "Hey, maybe we can sneak out sometime and hunt down the Batman! You know, we can see for ourselves if the stories about him are true; like that one that says he's really a vampire."

"We'll do nothing of the sort," Clark chided her. "We'll help out if we're needed, but we won't go looking for trouble. I'm going to be working and you'll just be another tourist on this little excursion to Gotham City, Linda. Let's keep it that way. We should both hope that nothing catastrophic happens on this trip."

"Yeah, just my luck, nothing really exciting will happen," Kara muttered, looking bored. "Does Gotham City have anything worthwhile that I can do?"

"Of course it does!" Clark said. "There's the police convention. That should be interesting--not to mention the science fair, and the Treasures Of The Ancient World Exhibit. There's all kinds of fun things for you to do."

"Uh, yeah, right," Kara replied, stifling a yawn. "Then again, I might just stay in my hotel room the whole trip. Does it have cable?"

"Yes, it will," Clark replied with a sigh, feeling deflated. As he escorted his petulant cousin back to their seats, he wondered if Lois may have had a point.

'Dealing with Kara in one of her sulky moods almost makes me miss Lex Luthor!' he thought dismally.

**B&B**

Dr. Beatrice Solana let out a weary sigh as she put away the paperwork on her desk. Nobody ever said running an institution for the criminally insane would be easy, but there were days when being the administrator of Arkham Asylum were especially trying. And today was a rough one.

Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. the Scarecrow, had just narrowly succeeded in escaping this afternoon, were it not for the alertness of her colleague Dr. Harley Quinn, who noticed that the guards in the game room were acting strangely. Crane had somehow managed to mix up some of his fear gas, which he squirted at the guards. Thankfully Harley had noticed the men were beginning to act fearful and set off the alarms before Crane even had a chance to escape.

'Had Harley not noticed the guards acting strange, Crane probably would have been long gone before we even knew it!' Solana thought with a shudder.

She glanced at the time and saw that it was just after nine o'clock at night. 'Quitting time,' Solana thought with a nod. 'Might as well see if Harley is up for some dinner. It'll be my treat. Lord knows it's the least I can do for the hero of Arkham!'

Yet when she checked Quinn's office, Solana saw that the lights were still on, and Harley's coat was still hanging in the closet--yet there was no sign of her colleague.

Solana dug out her cell phone and called the main desk. When a guard answered, she asked, "Did Dr. Quinn leave yet?"

There was a pause as the guard consulted his log book. "No, ma'am," he reported. "Dr. Quinn has not checked out yet today."

"All right, thank you," she said as she ended the call. Solana checked Harley's day planner, which she had left opened on her desk, and her eyes grew wide at what she saw.

Her last scheduled patient was the Joker, and that had been at five o'clock. Four hours had gone by, and nobody had seen or heard from Harley since.

'Oh good Lord,' Solana thought with dread as she called downstairs to the Joker ward. That psychopath was such a threat to everyone that he warranted a special ward all to himself.

But there was no answer.

"Oh, dear God, please," Solana said aloud, as she called the Joker Squad.

"Joker Squad," a male voice answered.

"This is Dr. Solana," she said. "We may have a problem in the Joker Ward. Go to full alert."

"Yes, ma'am," the man said curtly.

"Please God, please, let me be wrong," Solana muttered to herself, as she descended to the Joker Ward in the elevator. The elevator doors opened onto an alcove, where all six members of the Joker Squad stood. All were built like football players, the shortest man on the squad was six foot two inches, and they were all clad in full riot gear and armed with batons and stun guns. Whenever there was a crisis involving the Joker, these specially trained men were the team who handled it.

Solana just hoped they weren't too late.

Their leader, Jerry Hilliard, peered into the windows in the doors. "There's nobody at the desk," he grimly informed her. He held his hand out for the card that would open the door. When Solana gave it to him, he swiped it in the electronic slot and the doors opened.

The first thing they saw was the body lying on the floor. It was Billy Thurmond, a ten year veteran of Arkham who had just celebrated his fifteenth wedding anniversary last week. Now he lay in a pool of his own blood with his throat slashed from ear to ear.

"All right, fan out!" Jerry Hilliard ordered his men. "Forget the batons, go right to the stun guns. You see the bastard, shoot him down! Vince, you stay with the doctor!"

Solana couldn't take her eyes off the body of poor Billy, yet the sight of all the blood splattered on the walls was hard to ignore.

"We found Larry!" one of the Joker Squad reported from his position in the hallway. "Also dead; throat slashed as well!"

"Where's Dr. Quinn!" Solana cried. "What did he do to Harley!"

"She's in here!" Hilliard called from within the Joker's cell.

Dr. Solana was almost afraid to look in the cell; she didn't want to see what horrible, mangled condition the Joker had left Harley in.

"She's alive!" Hilliard called.

At that Solana ran into the cell and saw Harley lay on the bed, trussed up with a straightjacket. Her bare legs were bound with torn-up bed sheets, and when one of the Joker Squad members removed her gag, Harley begin screaming and crying incoherently.

Solana bent down so that she was face to face with her friend. "Harley, Harley! It's me, Bea!"

"I couldn't stop him!" Harley cried. "He killed them all, and he escaped! He's loose, Bea! That monster is loose, and I couldn't stop him!"

"It's all right," Solana soothed the younger woman. "It's all over now."

As Solana began to free Harley from the straightjacket, Hilliard picked up a phone on the wall and called in the details of the escape. "Lock down!" he shouted into the phone. "Immediate lock down, all stations, RIGHT NOW!"

'Oh my God,' Solana thought in horror, as she stared at Harley. The woman was naked from the waist down. Solana quickly covered her friend up with the blanket that was on the bed.

"He…touched me," Harley said, still in a state of shock. "He-he did things to me, Bea!"

"Shhh," Solana said, as she cradled Harley in her arms. "There, there, honey. I'm here, I'm here."

Hilliard came over and said, "Excuse me, ma'am. But we've locked down the facility."

"I understand." As much as Solana wanted to remain and comfort her friend, as administrator of Arkham, the security protocols required her presence to visually inspect the asylum before the lock down can be lifted. "Will somebody stay with her until help arrives?"

"Of course," Hilliard replied. "We've already got a medical team on their way for her. Vince will stay with Dr. Quinn until they arrive."

As they strode into the hallway, Solana whispered, "She was raped, Jerry. The bastard raped her."

"Looks like Gotham PD's new Special Victim's Unit will have a busy night," Hilliard grimly replied. "But it should be an open and shut case--with the entire asylum locked down, that pale-faced son of a bitch isn't going anywhere!"

And so they began the tedious and nerve-wracking task of "clearing" the asylum section by section until they found the Joker. Yet the Joker was nowhere to be seen. Solana became more and more alarmed until they reached the main hub, just outside the visitor's section, which was the last to be cleared. That as when the unsettling fact dawn on her that they had cleared the entire asylum--yet there was no sign of the Joker.

Solana ordered a review of everybody who signed in and out all day long. As she, Hilliard, and the front desk security guard poured over the names on the computer screen. Solana's eyes went wide when she saw that Billy Thurmond had signed out at seven forty five pm.

"He couldn't have signed out!" she cried. "He's lying dead in a pool of his own blood downstairs!"

"Call up the security camera for that time," Hilliard ordered the guard. He pulled out a walkie-talkie and asked one of his men to search the body of Billy Thurmond for his ID card.

"There!" the security guard called, as she pointed at the screen.

"Vince just confirmed that Billy's ID card is missing," Hilliard said.

Solana watched in horror on the screen as a man walked up to the security booth and swiped a card in the slot, which allowed the front doors to open for him. He was careful to keep his head down, his face hidden from the camera by the baseball cap he wore, as well as the collar of his jacket, which he wore up. His hands were covered with gloves, yet when Solana caught a glimpse of his forearm, she was horrified to see that it was a pure alabaster in color.

"Oh crap," Hilliard said, as they watched the figure on the screen calmly walk out the door.

"Jerry," Solana said, "alert the Gotham City police, and tell them…." Solana hesitated. She then took a deep breath and spoke the four words that she'd always dreaded to hear herself say: "The Joker has escaped!"

**To be continued...**


	3. Angels And Demons

_A/N: Just wanted to thank everybody who gave me such nice reviews! Thanks very much!_

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Three**

**"Angels and Demons"**

Olivia was startled awake by the sound of constant buzzing. She stared, bleary-eyed, at her cell phone, which she had set on vibrate. The thing buzzed around on the night table, sounding like an angry bee.

Alex, who lay on her stomach beside Olivia, let out an annoyed groan. "I don't wanna go to school today, mom," she muttered, still half sleep. "Tell them I'm sick."

"Oh, you're sick, all right," Olivia jokingly said, as she got up with a moan and grabbed the cell. When she checked the screen, Olivia saw that it was Linda Preston, her assistant at the SVU. She wouldn't have called this late unless it was something urgent. "Hey, Linda, it's Olivia. What's up?"

"It's our first case," Linda said, sounding excited. "And it's a doozey!"

"What happened?"

"One of the doctors at Arkham Asylum--Harley Quinn--had been raped by the Joker," Linda said. "She's still alive, but is reported to be in shock."

'The Joker!' Olivia thought, as a chill swept up her back. She still recoiled from the memory of her first meeting with that madman at Arkham. He had been strapped down in a wheelchair with a cadre of guards surrounding him, and yet that green haired, pale-faced psychotic still managed to get under Olivia's skin when he glared at her and calmly asked if she was afraid of clowns. His shrieking laughter still echoed in Olivia's deepest nightmares even to this day.

'To hell with it,' Olivia thought in a panic. 'They can handle it. They don't need me. After all, I was only their teacher and advisor. The Joker really isn't my problem. I just want to remain here, all snug and cuddled up with Alex, and--'

"Olivia?" Linda plaintively asked over the phone.

And once Olivia heard that scared, youthful voice say her name, the paralyzing fear that had Olivia in its vise-like grip abruptly melted away. 'You're still a cop,' she firmly told herself, 'so stop acting like a sniveling little bitch and go get the job done.'

After taking a deep breath, Olivia said, "I'll meet you and the others at Arkham, Linda."

"Yes, ma'am!" Linda said, sounding relieved. "See you there."

"What is it?" Alex asked, now fully awake, as Olivia ended the call on her phone.

"It's the Joker," Olivia said grimly, as she got out of bed. "He raped Dr. Quinn at Arkham Asylum."

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Alex said with horror. "Is she--he didn't kill her, did he?"

"No, she's still alive, but in shock," Olivia said, with a sad shake of her head as she quickly got dressed. She didn't even want to imagine what it must have been like for Dr. Quinn. "Here she was, trying to help that bastard, and this was the frigging thanks she gets!"

When Olivia reached down to retrieve her phone from the nightstand, Alex grabbed her wrist. "You're as white as a ghost, Liv," she said with concern. "Are you all right?"

"No," Olivia said bluntly. "I've faced some tough customers before, Alex. But the Joker--this guy…I've met him only once, and it was just briefly, but that was enough. I've never seen anybody like him. I mean, it's like he's not human. He's inhuman. He's pure evil disguised as a human being."

"I wish I could come with you," Alex said, as she got up out of bed and gave Olivia a warm embrace. "I wish I could help."

"You just did," Olivia told her, as she gave Alex a kiss. "You've made me feel much better. Thanks. Hey, I gotta go."

"Be careful," Alex called.

Olivia smiled at her. "Always."

**B&B**

Alfred Pennyworth carefully held the tray containing the tea and cookies in his hands as he stepped out of the elevator and strode over to the main console in the Batcave.

Bruce Wayne sat at the console, staring in puzzlement at the screen before him. He had traded in the Batsuit for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Yet his quiet intensity was still smoldering as strong as ever as he tried to decipher the information displayed before him.

"I thought you would like a break, Master Bruce," Alfred said, as he placed the tray down on a table.

"Hum-umm," Wayne muttered, still staring at the screen.

"I've brought tea and cookies, sir," Alfred said. "They're the chocolate chips that you enjoy so much."

"Yeah, that's great, Alfred," Wayne said, still distracted by his work.

Alfred stood up properly and calmly added, "I also feel the need to inform you, sir, that my hair is on fire, and that I shall be giving birth to a Dodo Bird very shortly."

"Yeah, Alfred, that's--_WHAT!_" Wayne exclaimed, as he stared over at his friend and manservant with wide eyes. "What did you just say?"

"I suppose I should be grateful that I finally caught your attention before I had to go in further sordid detail of my impending pregnancy," Alfred said with an impish smile. "My apologies, Master Bruce, but you did appear to be in need of a break."

Wayne leaned back in the chair and rubbed his face in a weary manner. "You're right, as always, Alfred. I could use a break. Thanks. How's Alex?"

"Olivia has arrived, and I surmise that, with her presence, Ms. Cabot is now feeling much better."

"No thanks to me," Wayne muttered.

Alfred frowned at him in puzzlement. "Whatever do you mean, Master Bruce? You saved Ms. Cabot's life."

"Just barely," Wayne said, with a shake of his head. "I underestimated the Stylist, Alfred. I thought he only had one henchman, but instead he had two. And because of my slip up, I nearly got Alex killed."

"But Alex is alive and well," Alfred gently insisted. "Thanks entirely to you, Master Bruce."

"Alex is still alive in spite of me," Wayne said dismally. "Ever since I clashed with Catwoman, I've been way off my game."

'Catwoman,' Alfred thought with disgust. He rued the day that feline-obsessed burglar with the cat-inspired costume ever stepped foot in Gotham City. Alfred had always assumed Catwoman had vexed Master Bruce because she managed to easily escape their first clash and was still at large. Yet now Alfred realized that Catwoman had troubled Master Bruce on another, more deeper level. Alfred didn't know exactly what happened during that first encounter--to this day, Master Bruce still won't speak about any details of it.

"Most people would gladly accept what you would consider being 'off your game' as their personal best," Alfred told him, hoping to prod Master Bruce into speaking about his problem. Yet when the younger man gave no indication that he would reply, Alfred gave up (for now) and decided to change the subject. He gestured at the computer screen, and said, "Still examining the evidence you found in the old church?"

"Yes, and it's pretty incriminating evidence at that," Wayne replied, as he pushed a button on the console. "Listen to this."

"You boys ready?" a man's voice said from the speakers.

"Yeah," another man replied. "I've got the men I need. We're ready to scope out the hit. If it looks good, we may do it tonight."

"Just remember I want Alex Cabot dead," the other man told him. "The hit must be clean, precise and permanent."

"Consider her already gone, Boss."

Wayne hit the button and ended the recording. "That was Boss Thorne speaking to the Stylist about having Alex Cabot killed."

Alfred's eyes grew very wide. "Superb work, Master Bruce! It appears you've managed to bring down yet another crime boss of Gotham City."

"Yes, and the evidence was handed to me in a nice, neat package," Wayne said, looking uneasy. "I was even given instructions on where to find it."

"And that bothers you?"

"You have no idea," Wayne told him. "For one thing, who sent this package? There was no ID, just this."

Alfred gazed at the green question mark on the side of the package. "Perhaps this is someone within Thorne's organization with an ax to grind? I would imagine a man of Rupert Thorne's vast greed and ruthlessness would create many enemies, even from among his allies."

"Too true," Wayne said thoughtfully. "And while I'll take whatever help I can get to help bring that bastard down, a part of me worries if this isn't some sort of a coup attempt from somebody who wants to take Thorne's place…somebody who'll be a lot worse."

"Better the devil you know than the one you don't," Alfred said, reciting an old quote.

"If I had my way, I'd get rid of both devils," Wayne replied. "I'm going to run some tests on the audio--"

He was interrupted by a beeping sound. A small red light urgently flashed on and off from atop the console.

'The Bat-signal,' Alfred realized. Master Bruce had special cameras installed all over Wayne Manor that constantly scanned the night skies; they were programmed to set off an alarm if the Bat-signal was ever sighted. Sure enough, when Master Bruce hit a button that revealed the POV of one of these cameras, the Bat-signal could be seen floating in the skies above them.

"Second time tonight," Wayne said with a frown. He hit a few more buttons on the console, which called up the local TV channels on the screens before them.

What they saw made Alfred let out an audible gasp.

The headline on the bottom of several of the TV screens read: JOKER ESCAPED!

Wayne turned up the sound on one of the reporters, who said, "Police still have not confirmed it, but Arkham Asylum is indeed under a complete lock down tonight, Jay. And several of my sources also confirm that Arkham's Joker Squad--an elite group of guards specially trained to deal with just the Joker--have been called into action. Yet Arkham is not allowing anybody access, nor will they have anyone confirm or deny any of these rumors at this time."

Wayne stood up from the console with a grim look on his face. "I'm needed, Alfred." He gestured at the evidence. "Do me a favor and pack this stuff up for me? I'd like to give it to Jim Gordon when I meet with him later."

"Right away, Master Bruce," Alfred replied. As Wayne ran off to don the Batsuit, Alfred put on a pair of plastic gloves and began carefully packing everything back into the envelope with the green question mark on the side.

"Just a minute, Gary," the news anchor said on the TV, interrupting the reporter. "We've just received reports that the Bat-signal has been sighted in the sky. Yes, there it is," he added, as a live image of the Bat-signal was shown on screen. "This is an interesting development, because--as most of the viewers know--Batman was credited by some for having stopped the Joker's first reign of terror almost two years ago. What do you make of that, Gary?"

"Well, Jay, some people have questioned the wisdom of calling on the Batman for help," the reporter outside Arkham Asylum replied. "They refer to the stories of Batman defeating the Joker as merely being that of one psychopath beating up on another. Many people are convinced that the Batman is just as much a threat as the Joker."

"Much like the Batman, we still don't know who the Joker really is, do we?" the anchor asked.

"That's right, Jay. The Joker's true identity has never been determined. The doctors at Arkham have even used fingerprint and DNA testing on him without any results. And so even after being locked up in Arkham for almost two years, the man is a total enigma, Jay…and a frightening one at that."

'The Joker is a monster, that's what he is,' Alfred thought with disdain, as he wiped any stray fingerprints from himself and Master Bruce from the package. 'He's a vicious murderer without any regard for the sanctity of human life. Master Bruce was damn near killed in his attempt to stop him last time.'

Wayne--now fully dressed as Batman--was in the process of pulling his gauntlets snug. Then he climbed into the driver's side of the massive vehicle, and with a flick of a switch, the Batmobile's mighty engine rumbled to life.

"Don't forget the package, Master Bruce," Alfred reminded him.

"Thanks Alfred," Batman said, as he took the package. "You're a lifesaver."

"Actually, sir, you're the lifesaver," Alfred said with a smile. "Good hunting, Master Bruce."

Alfred solemnly watched as the Batmobile roared out of the Batcave, carrying the man whom he considered to be his surrogate son to certain danger. While Alfred was proud of Bruce Wayne and his accomplishments--the Batman had proven to be a major factor in the change for the better of the quality of life in Gotham City--he often wished that Master Bruce had chosen to avenge his parents' death in another, more safer, fashion.

Alfred frowned when he saw the tray of tea and cookies. 'Oh well,' he thought, as he picked them up in his hands and walked back to the elevator. 'Might as well put these away.'

Upon entering the Wayne residence, Alfred was surprised to see Olivia Benson was not only awake, but fully dressed. She paused at the main doors as she dug in the pockets of her jacket, with the air of a woman who was frantically trying to collect everything she had before quickly departing.

"Leaving us so soon, Olivia?" Alfred asked.

Olivia gave him a sad look. "Yeah. The Gotham City SVU unit just got its first case. One of the doctors at Arkham Asylum has been raped by the Joker."

"Oh dear," Alfred murmured, shaking his head. He glanced down at the tea and cookies and hopefully added, "Would you care for something to eat or drink before you go?"

Olivia did a double take at the cookies. "Are those chocolate chips?"

"Indeed they are." Alfred held the tray up to her. "Take one…or two."

"Normally, I wouldn't be eating this late," Olivia said, as she took two of the cookies. "But it looks like I won't be getting to sleep anytime soon, anyway. So this'll help me to stay awake. Thanks Alfred, you're a lifesaver!"

"Au contraire, you're the lifesaver," Alfred said with a smile. "Good hunting, Olivia!"

Olivia flashed him a shy smile. "Thanks."

Alfred stood and beamed after Olivia, the woman whom he considered to be his surrogate daughter. Alfred had never regretted not having children--especially since he'd practically raised Master Bruce all on his own. Yet he often wondered what it would have been like to have a daughter--and meeting Olivia made him hope that his own daughter would have been just as kind, decent and wonderful a person as she was.

He turned from the main doors and headed for the kitchen with the tray in his hands. Alfred paused when he saw Alex sitting atop the staircase. Barefoot, she was clad in a robe, and sat nervously wringing her hands. She gave him an anxious smile. "Hi Alfred."

'Ah, my other daughter,' Alfred thought with a bemused smile. 'It appears that news of the Joker has greatly disturbed all of my surrogate children this evening.' He nodded to her and said, "Good evening, Alex. Can't sleep?"

"No," she replied, as she stood and slowly descended the steps. "I can't stop thinking about the Joker. He's a real bad one, isn't he?"

Alfred grew very somber. "In the several years that Master Bruce has been the Batman, he's come across all manner of villains--both strange and deadly. But the Joker is perhaps the most diabolical of them all."

"And Olivia just went out to deal with him," Alex said, with a frightened look on her face.

"No, Olivia is dealing with the rape case," Alfred quickly soothed her. "Master Bruce will be dealing directly with the Joker. And rest assured, Alex, the Batman brought that green-haired fiend down once before, and he shall do so again."

"Do you ever worry about him?" Alex asked. "About Bruce?"

"Always," Alfred said. "But Bruce, much like Olivia, has decided to put himself in harm's way in order to fight evil. And just as it's their cause to fight the good fight, it's our lot, I'm afraid, to worry for them." He held up the tray. "But as long as we must wait up and worry for those whom we love, why don't we have some tea and cookies in the meantime?"

"Great idea," Alex said, smiling. "But under one condition…."

"Which is?"

"Don't call me 'kitty' again," she said, pointing a finger at him in mock consternation.

"Agreed!" Alfred replied with a broad smile.

**B&B**

When Olivia arrived at Arkham Asylum, she was in an extremely tense mood. She had heard over the radio in her car the reports of the Joker having escaped the maximum security institution. Working a rape case with the Joker involved was bad enough, but finding out that that madman was now on the loose--well, it took everything Olivia had to keep from turning the car around, driving back to Wayne Manor, and hiding under the covers in sheer panic.

'Clarkson and Flanders certainly got a big job ahead of them,' Olivia thought, as she parked her car and walked to the building. GCPD SVU Detectives Matt Clarkson and Andrea Flanders were the first on call tonight, and fortunately Olivia couldn't have picked a better team to handle a major rape case like this. They worked so well together, playing off each other's strengths so efficiently, that they reminded Olivia of herself and Elliot.

'Elliot,' she thought wistfully. She wondered what he would make of all of this hubris. 'He'd probably make some bad crack about how we'd have to get this clown.'

She would be seeing him sometime this weekend. Elliot and the others from the NYPD SVU will be coming down for the police convention. Olivia looked forward to seeing everybody. But she had mixed feelings about seeing Elliot again. For one thing, she didn't know what the hell she would say to him.

Her smile faded when she entered Arkham amidst a crowd of cops and saw Linda making her way through them. Linda, a young, uniformed officer fresh out of the academy, was always the bright and cheerful sort. But now she had a grimace on her face as she approached Olivia.

"What is it?" Olivia asked.

"Clarkson and Flanders have joined the manhunt for the Joker," she told Olivia. "They're out looking for him right now with everybody else."

"They've already spoken to the victim?"

Linda shook her head. "They never got the chance. They were ordered to assist with the manhunt before they could even talk with Quinn."

"What!" Olivia said, enraged. "Who was the moron who ordered them on the manhunt?"

"Him," Linda replied, pointing at the man who stood just a few feet away from them.

When Olivia saw who it was, she wearily muttered, "Oh, I should have known…."

Detective Harvey Bullock stood among the crowd of police officers bellowing orders at the top of his lungs. A big bull of a man, it was said that only his ego was bigger than his stomach, which hung over the front of his trousers like a great heaving mound of jello. His rumpled suit had the appearance of having been slept in, and the toothpick that dangled from his mouth wiggled as he spoke.

"What are youse doing lollygagging around here?" Bullock bellowed at a pair of uniformed officers. "The other guys outside could use some help in keeping those maggot reporters at bay. Go on and help 'em!"

Olivia strode up to him and said, "What the hell are you doing, Bullock?"

"My job, what do ya think?" He glared at her with suspicion. "Hey, now that the panty squad is up and running, ain't you supposed to be gone, Benson?"

Olivia flashed her GCPD Inspector badge at him. "I'm still in comand of the SVU throughout the weekend, as per Commisoner Gordon's request."

Bullock's eyes grew comically large when he saw Olivia's ID. "Inspector! The Commish made you an Inspector!"

"That's right, and while I'm in command of the SVU, I'd appreciate it if you didn't order my detectives around," Olivia firmly said.

"It ain't no big mystery who the rapist is, Benson," Bullock shot back. "We know it's the Joker."

"That's not the goddamn point, and you know it," Olivia wearily replied. "There are two separate investigations ongoing here--one of which is a rape case, where you don't have any jurisdiction at all, Bullock. And so from now on, you leave my detectives alone to do their job their way."

"First the Joker's loose, and now the NYPD Princess is a freaking Inspector!" Bullock said, as Olivia stormed away from him. "Oh boy, it's gonna be a long weekend!"

"Shall I call somebody else from the unit in here?" Linda asked as she walked with Olivia to the elevator.

"No, it'll just take time for them to get here, and time is of the essence," Olivia told her. "We're here now, so we'll investigate the case."

After getting directions from a uniformed officer, Olivia and Linda rode the elevator up to the hospital ward, where Dr. Harley Quinn was resting. However, once they entered the hospital ward, they saw that Dr. Quinn was anything but resting. The young blond woman sat on the edge of her bed, fully dressed in hospital sweats, and was in the process of putting on a pair of running shoes. Beatrice Solana stood by her side with an anxious look on her face.

"You're pushing it, Harley," Solana told her.

"Nonsense," Quinn replied. "You said I needed rest, and that's exactly what I'm gonna get--but at home. I can't stay here, Bea. I need to be in a safe place right now."

"There's no safer place form the Joker than Arkham Asylum right now," Olivia said, "because this is the last place the Joker would want to be." After she introduced herself and Linda, Olivia added, "We're from the Special Victim's Unit, and we would like to talk to you about your assault."

Quinn's face had the puffy look of someone who had just spent a lot of time crying. She shook her head. "I-I don't…" She took a deep breath. "Um, no sooner did I step into his cell…he just attacked me. He was supposed to have been drugged, and strapped down to his bed, but he wasn't. After he, uh, after he…after he…."

"After he raped you?" Olivia gently offered.

Quinn nodded, staring at the floor with a haunted look on her face. "Um, he put me into his straightjacket, and then locked me in there. And then he…he…killed the others. Oh God, as if the rape itself wasn't horrible enough! I had to listen to him kill the others! T-They were all screaming and crying, and I couldn't help them!"

"It's all right, it's over," Olivia soothed her.

"No it's not over," Quinn cried. "Not as long as I'm still in this place! Please, just let me go home."

"We still need to do a rape kit," Olivia said apologetically.

"That's already been done for you, Inspector," Solana replied. She handed Olivia a paper bag containing the kit.

After she checked the rape kit out, Olivia nodded in satisfaction. "All right, everything's in order. But we still need to speak with you in greater detail, Dr. Quinn. Would tomorrow morning at nine, at your home, be all right?"

"Yes, that would be great," Quinn replied, looking relieved.

Olivia spent the next few minutes setting up police protection for Dr. Quinn. A uniformed officer would be on guard right outside her apartment door at all times, while a patrol car would be on the street outside. After Dr. Quinn left for home with her police escort, Olivia noticed that Dr. Solana--who had been keeping up a brave, confident front for her friend--now looked both emotionally and physically drained.

"Is there anything else you need, Inspector?" Solana asked.

"Yeah, it would help if we saw the crime scene," Olivia replied. She was about to ask if Solana was all right, but she got her answer.

As Solana led them, stone-faced, down to the Joker Ward, Olivia thought, 'Poor woman has to deal with the Joker killing and raping her friends and co-workers, and then escaping all on her watch. It'll be a miracle if she kept her job after this, if she still even wanted to keep it.'

Once they arrived at the main doors, Solana paused with a grimace on her face and said, "Excuse me, but I can't go back in there, again."

"We understand," Olivia told her. "Thank you for your help."

Once she walked into the blood-stained ward, with its tarp-covered bodies lying all over the place, Olivia truly comprehended why Solana didn't want to come back here. For her part, Linda was beginning to look a little sick as she gazed wide-eyed at a bloodied hand-print on the wall.

"First time seeing dead bodies?" Olivia asked her. When Linda nodded weakly, Olivia whispered in her ear: "You can wait by the doorway, if you want."

Linda shook her head. "I'll be fine. Thanks, anyway."

'Good for you,' Olivia thought with pride. 'If you want to be a cop, you have to get used to seeing dead bodies sooner or later.'

Olivia spotted one of the Joker Squad guards among the crowd of police that were on the scene. She recognized him as Jerry Hilliard, the comander of the squad. He smiled slightly when he saw her. "Hello, Olivia."

"Jerry," she said in greeting. "I'm here investigating the rape. Can you show me where it took place?"

"Yeah, in the Joker's cell," he replied. "In fact, it's the only cell in the ward. It's right down here."

Once they arrived at the cell, Olivia shook her head sadly as she watched a CSU team bag the straightjacket that Harley had been bound with. She noted they were also bagging torn strips of cloth. When she asked what they were, Jerry said that they were used to bind Dr. Quinn's legs.

"Where did you find her?" Olivia asked him. "I mean, where exactly in the cell?"

"She was on the bed," he replied.

Olivia noted that the bed was all the way on the opposite side of the cell from the door. It was a good ten feet, at least. "When you found her, was the cell door open or closed?"

"It was closed and locked."

Olivia frowned as she inspected the door, which was massive and thickly padded on the inside. "Something's not right," she muttered.

"What is it?" Linda asked.

"Do you recall what Dr. Quinn said, after the Joker put her in the straightjacket?" Olivia asked.

Linda nodded. "She said that he locked her in here."

"Where she heard him killing the others outside," Olivia said. "But look at that door, Linda. It looks pretty solid."

"It is," Jerry confirmed. "Once you close it, you can't hear anything going on outside from within this cell."

"And so how did Dr. Quinn know her co-workers were being killed if she couldn't hear them?" Olivia asked.

"Maybe she saw what happened through the window in the door," Linda suggested.

"How?" Olivia asked. "Her legs were tied, remember? She couldn't get up from the bed. And if she was lying on the bed all the way over there, then she couldn't see out the window on the door, because it's was too high. And yet she distinctly told us that she heard her co-workers being killed outside. It doesn't make sense."

"Perhaps she was under a lot of stress," Linda suggested. "Maybe the Joker told her he was going to kill everybody."

"Yeah, maybe," Olivia said, still not convinced. Her cop instinct, the same one that had often warned her of danger and kept her alive all these years, was ringing like a five alarm fire right now. There was something very wrong with this situation. "I'm really looking forward to speaking with Dr. Quinn in more detail tomorrow."

**B&B**

Back at her apartment, Harley Quinn stepped out of the shower feeling relieved and renewed. It had been a long day--the better part of it spent nude in a straightjacket--and it felt so good to just wash off the past few hours like so much dirt. She dried herself off and put on a robe. Then she padded out of the bathroom, still drying her hair with a towel.

Harley ceased drying her hair when she noticed that all of the lights in her apartment were out. 'I turned them on when I came in with the police,' she thought, with a twinge of fear.

She quickly walked over and turned on the nearest lamp, which hung over the dinner table. Harley spun around when she saw that the patio door had been left open. 'Is there somebody out there?'

Against her better judgement, which would have been to call the cop who stood guard outside her front door, Harley slowly padded over to the patio doors and peered outside. There was nobody on the patio.

She almost felt disappointed.

Then a hand grabbed her roughly by the nape of her neck and pulled Harley back into the apartment. Her robe fell open, leaving her exposed to the intruder, who pressed his body up against her own.

'It's him!' Harley thought.

The man pulled her head back until Harley's bare neck was exposed to the alabaster face that shone from beneath the purple hat. The man's ruby lips parted in a broad grin as his yellow eyes leered at the helpless woman.

"The policeman," Harley said breathlessly, "he's--he's--"

"--already dead," the ghoulish man assured her. "And what about you, Harley old girl? Now that we're both free of Arkham, how would you like to spend a night out on the town?"

Harley's mouth slowly spread into a broad grin of her own. "For you, Mister J, anything!"

**To be continued...**


	4. Machinations & Meetings

_A/N: My thanks to Andrea for the great reviews. I really appreciate them. _

_Note to everybody: you might want to read the final scene of this chapter very carefully, as I have sprinkled cameos featuring characters from several other TV crime shows. Enjoy._

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Four **

**"Machinations And Meetings" **

'About time,' Olivia thought, as the elevator opened on the floor of the police commissioner's office. Having just returned from the rape crime scene at Arkham, she was bone-weary and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for a day or so--preferably with Alex snuggled up by her side. Yet the call from Commissioner Gordon requesting her presence at police headquarters could not be ignored.

Olivia smiled at Gordon's receptionist, who casually waved her into the office. "He's waiting for you, Inspector Benson."

'Inspector Benson,' Olivia thought, with a slight shake of her head. It still felt so weird to hear people call her that.

When Olivia entered the office, she was surprised to see Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya were already seated before Gordon's desk. Gordon himself leaned against the front of the desk with his arms folded in front of him.

"Hey Benson," Bullock muttered, "welcome to the club."

"Club?" Olivia asked, puzzled. Olivia had assumed Gordon called her here so that she could update him on the events at Arkham. Before she could ask further what he meant, Olivia was startled to see another man seated on the sofa. It was Harvey Dent, the District Attorney of Gotham City. Clad in a dark, elegant suit that probably cost more money than Olivia made in an entire year, the handsome, forty-something District Attorney nodded in greeting to her.

"Perhaps we should call this the two-Harvey club," Dent said sardonically. "But in any case: welcome, Olivia."

"Thank you, sir," Olivia said, respectful of the man's powerful position within law enforcement. "May I ask what club I'm being welcomed to?"

"It's our little get-together," Gordon replied. "We meet every so often, unofficially, with the number one rule being there's no rank here. We all refer to each other by our first names, and we always speak our minds."

"Think of this group as being a way for us to network and get things done without dealing with the bureaucratic red tape that's so prevalent in Gotham City," Montoya added.

"Bureaucratic red tape?" Bullock said with a broad grin. "Don't you mean corruption, Montoya?"

"In many cases, they're one and the same," Dent commented.

"I figured it was time to finally invite you in, Olivia," Gordon said. "The others readily agreed."

"Even Harvey," Montoya said, with a nod to Bullock.

"Jeez, Montoya, did ya have to tell her that?" Bullock said in annoyance. "Benson's head is probably already swelled enough as it is with her having been promoted to Inspector, but now she's going to be insufferable!"

Olivia couldn't help but smile at Bullock's rant, yet the fact was she was overwhelmed at having just been made a member of some kind of a secret society of trustworthy people--and with Gordon hosting the event, she knew that everyone involved was a person of high integrity.

"I'm honored," Olivia said, touched. "Thank you all for inviting me to this."

"Don't get carried away, Benson," Bullock replied. "It ain't like you won an Emmy, or something."

Olivia merely shook her head in exasperation at Bullock as she took a seat on the opposite side of the sofa from Dent. "If you guys were waiting for me, please don't," she said. "Feel free to get started whenever you wish."

"Actually, there's one more member of our group who we're waiting for," Gordon said.

"Wait no longer," a voice called out from the darkness beyond.

Olivia, startled, glanced up and saw the familiar outline of the Batman emerge from the shadows.

"How long have you been standing there!" Bullock demanded.

"Long enough," the Batman curtly replied. He glanced over at Gordon and added, "Harley Quinn is missing. The police who have been assigned to protect her are dead--killed in the same manner that the Joker killed the men at Arkham."

"WHAT!" Olivia cried. Since she was the one who assigned those men to guard Dr. Quinn, Olivia had essentially sent those boys to their deaths.

"Damn it," Gordon said, shaking his head. "Why weren't we informed of this?"

"Because I was the first one on the scene," Batman replied. "Her apartment door was left open and Quinn wasn't anywhere to be seen. The body of one of the police officers had been brought into the apartment and left on the sofa. He had been posed with the TV remote in one hand, with the TV set left on. The Joker even spread his lips into a smile."

"That sick son of a bitch," Dent said with a shake of his head.

Batman turned his head towards Olivia. "Quinn was raped by the Joker, wasn't he?"

Olivia was still shattered at the thought that she had ordered two men to their deaths--not to mention the fact that Dr. Quinn, her unit's very first victim, was once again in mortal danger at the hands of her attacker. Yet she quickly shoved her dismay to one side and pulled it together. "Yeah, he raped Dr. Quinn in his cell before he made his escape."

"I guess he wasn't finished with her," Bullock said grimly.

"I'm not finished with the Joker," Batman replied. "But before I go, Jim, there's one more thing."

Batman's cape swung aside as he held up a package in one of his gloved hands. "Remember the note you got with the riddles? This is what they led to."

"What is it?" Gordon asked as he took the package from Batman.

"Evidence linking Rupert Thorne to the assassination attempt earlier tonight on Nora Bradshaw," Batman replied. "There's audio of Thorne speaking about the hit with the Stylist on a CD. There are also pictures of a meeting with Thorne and the Stylist."

"Whoa! It looks like we've got Thorne cold this time," Dent said excitedly.

"Perhaps," Batman said cautiously.

"You don't trust this information?" Gordon asked.

"It looks very good, but you should still have your forensic people test the CD and photos," Batman said. "Just to make sure the evidence there isn't a frame-up and that we're not being used in a mob version of a coup attempt."

"Yeah, I see your point," Gordon said. When the phone on his desk began to ring, he went to retrieve it. He placed the package from the Batman on the edge of the desk.

"Is that a green question mark?" Olivia asked, as she got up for a closer look at the package. Since this had been an attempt on Alex's life, Olivia was particularly interested in this case.

"Yes," Montoya replied. She had gotten up with Olivia and examined the package along with her. "That's exactly what it is: a green question mark."

"That was also on the note we had gotten," Gordon said, as he cupped his hand over the receiver on the phone. "It seems to be a signature of some sort."

"But for who?" Olivia asked, as she stared at the green question mark.

"Maybe it's a new guy in town named Question Mark Man," Montoya said, half-jokingly.

"Oh yeah, that's just what we need: another costumed freak running around Gotham City," Bullock grumbled. He waved a hand in Batman's direction and added, "Present company excepted, Bats!"

"Too late," Olivia informed him.

Bullock glanced up and was startled to see that the Batman was already gone. "All that sneaking around! There ought to be a law against that sort of thing!" he complained.

"That was the 17th Precinct," Gordon said, as he hung up the phone. "They just reported the disappearance of Harley Quinn, and the murders of the cops who were protecting her. In light of recent events, I suggest we adjourn this meeting for now."

"How soon will you know that that evidence is on the up and up, Jim?" Dent asked. "Because, if it is, I'd like to get the case against Thorne rolling ASAP."

"I'm sending it down to forensics right now, Harvey," Gordon answered. "I've already got them working overtime, thanks to the Joker's escape. I'll tell them to give it priority, and we should know by tomorrow morning."

"Very good, I'll speak to you tomorrow," Dent said, as he moved towards the door. "It was a pleasure seeing you again, Olivia."

"You too, sir…um, Harvey." It was strange for Olivia to be on a first name basis with the D.A. Yet it was stranger still for her to be a part of some sort of secret justice society. But then she recalled what Elliot had once told her: 'Unusual times call for usual solutions.'

Olivia had started for the door, along with Bullock and Montoya, when Gordon called her name.

Once they were alone in the office, Gordon said, "Let it go, Olivia."

Olivia frowned at him in confusion. "I don't understand, sir."

"I saw your reaction when the Batman reported those police officers were killed by the Joker," Gordon said. "And I know you well enough now to realize that you feel partially to blame for their deaths. Don't feel that way."

"Is that an order, sir?" Olivia asked.

"Consider it advice from someone who's been there," Gordon replied. "I'm not saying that I don't feel for the sacrifice that those boys made, or the grief their families are now suffering through, because I do. But bear in mind that both of those cops knew what the risks were, and they accepted the risk once they put the uniform on. If you must blame anybody, blame the Joker, because he killed them. Just don't blame yourself, Olivia."

Olivia nodded. "Thank you, sir. But it's still hard to accept."

"Losing a good cop in the line of duty never is," Gordon told her. "Now go home. Get some sleep."

"I will. Good night." Yet as she left the commissioner's officer, Olivia doubted if she would be getting any sleep anytime soon.

**B&B**

'Damn it,' Batman thought.

He stood in the vast, empty space that was once a factory that manufactured Happy Time Toys. This had been the Joker's previous hideout, back when he first terrorized Gotham City almost two years ago. The Joker had taken over the closed-down factory and reworked the remaining toys into deadly devices that were designed to kill their users, which would have been Gotham City's children--whom the Joker, like a demented Santa Claus, had planned to deliver them to.

The Batman had stopped the Joker before he could proceed with his deadly mission--but not before the Joker had turned some of the toys loose on him, causing a confrontation between them that was literally explosive. Batman could still see some of the bullet holes and blast marks left over on the walls from those toys.

Once he left Gordon's office, Batman came here, hoping that the Joker might return to his old stomping grounds--or at least leave some kind of clue of where he presently was. But there was no sign whatsoever that the Joker had been here recently, nor was there any indication of where he was. As much as Batman hated to admit it, the trail of the Joker had grown cold.

'Damn it,' Batman thought once more, as he stalked out of the empty factory. He went outside to the roof and brooded on the ledge of the building like a gargoyle. He gazed down at Gotham City, his city, and wondered where in its shadows that pale-faced maniac was hiding. Perhaps if he went on patrol, Batman might be able to spot something.

He stood up, raised his left gauntlet to his face, and whispered: "Come here."

The Batwing appeared, silently swinging around the corner of the building and coming to a stop before him, hovering in the air like a giant creature of the night. As he had done many times before, Batman dove into the pilot's seat with ease. Once the canopy closed around him, he took manual control of the Batwing and flew it over the city in a broad arc.

There was a beep from the console, and Alfred's face appeared on a small view screen. "Master Bruce?"

"Yes, Alfred, what is it?"

"Olivia has returned," the butler told him. "Any luck with your search for the Joker?"

"None yet, Alfred," Batman replied. "But I'm staying out until I find him."

Alfred frowned slightly. "You once told me that bats were nocturnal creatures, sir."

"Yes, Alfred. Your point being?"

"Have you looked at the Eastern skies lately, sir?"

Batman glanced out and saw that dawn was fast approaching. "Damn. Very well, Alfred. I'm coming in."

"Very good, sir. I shall have breakfast ready and waiting for you when you arrive."

'Looks like I may have to wait until the Joker makes his first move,' Batman thought, as he reluctantly piloted the Batwing towards home. 'I just hope that when that happens, nobody else winds up getting killed…'

**B&B**

"You would think, being nothing more than an oversized bat, that the Dark Night would have no need for such contraptions," the Joker said, as he watched the Batwing fly silently over him.

"He can fly," Harley told him, "but I think it's only for short flights…like a glider, y'know, Mister J?"

Harley frantically reached out and grabbed his arm for support, as she stared fearfully down at the street, which was several dozen stories below them. They were both on the ledge of a building that had a raised platform jutting out over the street. It was closed down and deserted for the night. "Oh, jeez, I really hate heights! You wanna tell me why we're up here, pudding?"

"Simple, my little cupcake," Joker replied, grinning. "We're going to show Gotham City how to have some real fun."

Harley stared at him as he poured acid on several steel cables on the edge of the platform. It wasn't a lot of acid, just enough to cause some minor damage to the steel cables and the overall structure. "Uh, how is that gonna make people have more fun?"

"This platform serves as the docking bay for the blimp rides, which start up tomorrow, just in time for all the conventions," Joker responded, his grin growing impossibly wider. "Once the acid is given time to chew through these metal supports, all the little sightseeing tourists will really have something amazing to see--as they plummet several stories to their deaths!"

Harley couldn't help but smile at his excitement. "I've gotta say, you sure know how to show a girl a good time, Mister J!"

**B&B**

Rachel Dawes suspected something was up the moment she entered work that morning. The office of the District Attorney of Gotham City was abuzz with the excited chatter of a big news story--something which Rachel had no knowledge of yet, since she had driven with the radio off this morning.

'Maybe they caught the Joker already,' she thought hopefully.

However, before she even spoke to anybody, Rachel deliberately walked straight past her colleagues, who were in intense cluster groups of gossip, and entered the ladies room to get a look at the damage she had just suffered.

'Jeez,' Rachel thought, as she stared in dismay at her dark brown hair, which had been blown into disarray by a blast of wind just as she got out of the car. She took out a brush from her purse and quickly got the loose strands of hair under control. She then pulled it all into a pony tail behind her head.

Just as she was finishing up, Gary Simon, a fellow ADA opened the door. "Rachel! There you are!"

Startled, Rachel stared at Gary as if he were insane. "You do know this is the ladies room?"

"Oh, yeah…sorry," Gary muttered. "But Dent's been looking for you. He wants to see you right away! And just between us, Rachel, I think you got it."

"Got what?" Rachel asked. But Gary had already left.

'Might as well go and see what I got,' Rachel thought, as she gathered her belongings and left the ladies room.

"Rachel!" Harvey Dent said with a smile, as she entered his office. "We got him!"

'First I got it, and now we've got him,' Rachel thought with bemusement. "Got who, Harvey?"

"Boss Thorne," Dent replied. He handed her a package with a green question mark on the side. "There's evidence in there directly linking Thorne to the assasination attempt on the Southside Angel last night."

"Whoa," Rachel said, impressed. Although he was known to be the major crime boss by just about everybody in Gotham City, Rupert Thorne had always been as untouchable as Al Capone--until now. "Where did you get this?"

"Batman," Dent replied. "He retrieved it after deciphering some riddles which told where to find it. That just came back from forensics at police headquarters, and it checks out. I want you to have it, Rachel, because you'll be the one prosecuting the Thorne case for me."

"Thank you, Harvey!" Rachel responded with a smile of her own. "When are we picking up Thorne?"

"Right now," Dent told her. "Gotham City's Finest are on their way over to his place even as we speak."

"Then I'd better start the prep work," Rachel said, as she strode out of the office. 'First Carmine Falcone, and now Rupert Thorne,' she thought with a pleased smile. 'Way to go Bruce! You keep this up and pretty soon the crime boss will be an extinct species in Gotham City!'

**B&B**

"I fricking love my job," Harvey Bullock said with a smile. "Have I told you that, Renée?"

"Only about fourteen times now," Montoya said with a grin. They were in their squad car--Harvey was driving--on their way over to Boss Thorne's residence. They were the lead car in a convoy of police cars and trucks that were all screaming through the streets of Gotham City.

"Then let me tell you for the fifteenth time," Harvey said, clearly delighted. "I fricking love my job, Renée."

When they arrived at Thorne's palatial mansion on Millionaires' Row, Harvey pulled up to the front gate, where he glared at the security guard and bellowed: "Gotham City PD! Let us in!"

The guard stared at them as if they were from Mars. "May I ask what this is about?"

"We have warrants for the arrest of Rupert Thorne, and to search his property," Montoya informed him.

"And if you don't open these gates, pronto, then you'll be joining your boss in the slammer!" Harvey warned the guard.

The guard quickly went into his shack, where he opened the gates for them.

"He's probably going to warn the house," Montoya said, as they drove onto Thorne's property.

"I hope he does," Harvey said, grinning. "I hope Thorne's standing out by his front door, looking all ticked off. That would really make my day."

As they pulled up to the house, Rupert Thorne stood regally on the front steps, glaring at the small army of police as if they were merely pests. An old man stood next to him.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"What did I tell ya?" Harvey muttered to Montoya as they got out of the car.

"Rupert Thorne," Montoya said in her best official police voice, "we have a warrant to search your home."

"And we also have a warrant for your arrest," Harvey said.

Thorne's eyes were as wide as saucers. "WHAT! On what grounds?"

"Conspiracy to murder Nora Bradshaw," Montoya replied.

"Yeah, that's right, snow-top, we got you cold this time," Harvey said. "Now turn around so's I can frisk ya!"

"This is outrageous!" the older man proclaimed, as Thorne was frisked and cuffed. "You cops ain't got no respect!"

"Relax, Herby," Thorne said over his shoulder, as he was led away to a squad car. "I'll be out of jail in no time. Just call my lawyer, would you?"

"You got it, Boss Thorne," Herby replied. "Don't you worry, this ain't over by a long shot!"

B&B

'Marvelous,' Edward Nygma thought, as he watched Rupert Thorne being led in handcuffs to a police car.

He had excused himself earlier, claiming to be getting some research on locks at the library--when in fact Nygma had adjourned to this bench in a small park down the street. This placed offered him a comfortable spot to watch the now former crime boss of Gotham City being arrested like the common crimnal he actually was.

Nygma had read Herby's lips through the binoculars he used to view the arrest, and for once he had to agree with the numbskull: it wasn't over. His master plan was only just beginning.

'Stage one is complete,' he thought, putting the binoculars away, 'now to move onto stage two.'

**B&B**

Casey Novak shook her head in bemusement as she looked over the hordes of people in the massive hotel lobby. The majority of them were in law enforcement, like she was, and it was strange for her to see so many police, FBI agents, and fellow district attorneys all gathered in one place like this. Casey had taken the day off from work so she could get down to Gotham City early for the seminar that she was due to give on prosecuting sex crimes. She was now waiting for her friends and co-workers from the Manhattan Special Victim's Unit to show up. She had just gotten a call from Elliot, who told her that they had arrived in Gotham City and would be here soon.

'But with this crowd, I doubt I'll be able to see them!' Casey thought, as she scanned the multitude of people for some familiar faces in vain. 'Maybe if I walk around the lobby, I'll have better luck.'

As she strolled by the check-in counter, a young female clerk shook her head in exasperation as she cried, "Oh no, here he comes again!"

An odd looking fellow with dark hair and wearing a rumpled raincoat came up to the counter. "Oh, there's just one more thing!" he said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry I didn't bring it up before…."

"Yes, Lieutenant Columbo?" the clerk replied, putting on her best professional manner.

Casey continued walking until she was interrupted by the sight of a man and a woman literally bumping into each other in front of her. The man was handsome, in his thirties, and looked to be a detective, while the woman was petite, with long dark brown hair.

"Jordan," the man said with amazement. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the police convention, what else?" the woman snapped. "It's not like I need your permission, Woody!"

"I didn't say you did, I just--" Woody started to say, until Jordan stormed off from him. "Jordan, wait up!"

'If those two aren't married, they should be,' Casey thought, as she watched the squabbling couple take their fight into a more private corner of the lobby.

Casey continued her walking search for her friends, until she encountered a woman standing all by herself in the middle of the crowd. Her dark hair was pulled back into a pony-tail, and she had the most intense, piercing gaze that Casey had ever seen. She appeared to be a shy and quiet, but very intelligent, type.

The young woman appeared a little lost; she kept scaning the crowds, as if looking for someone. Casey was about to walk over and ask if she needed any help when she heard a man shout out: "BONES!"

The woman burst into a small smile as she began waving at somebody. "Booth! Over here!"

"Bones, there you are," Booth said, as he went over to the woman.

'Her name is Bones?' Casey thought with a frown. 'Must be a nickname.'

She wandered over to the main doors, where she found a bearded man in a Hawaiian shirt and toting his luggage just entering the building.

"Gill!" a woman called to him.

"Hey, Sara," he said with a smile. "You get the rooms, yet?"

"Yeah," a slight brunette replied. "But we're not sharing one."

"There'll be time enough for that later," he told her, as they exchanged a brief kiss. "You meet up with any of the gang yet?"

"Catherine and Nick are here," Sara said, as she and Gill disappeared into the crowds.

'Office romance,' Casey realized. Those two had the familiarity of a loving couple, yet they tried to hide it as best they could. All of these reunions were making Casey jealous. It seemed as if everybody was hooking up here except her.

"You've been great, just great!" Lieutenant Columbo told the female clerk at the desk. "If your boss were here, I'd tell him to give you a commendation or something!"

"Thank you, Lieutenant," the clerk said with a nod. "Enjoy your stay here in Gotham City."

"Thanks very much," Columbo said, as he started to walk away. Then he stopped and turned around once again. "Oh, wait, just one more thing….."

The irrated clerk just leaned forward and covered her face with both hands in exasperation.

'Poor thing,' Casey thought sympathetically.

Yet just as she turned away from the front desk, Casey accidentally bumped into a blond woman who was speaking on the phone, knocking a bunch of items she held out of her hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Casey said. "I didn't see you."

"That's all right," the blonde replied good-naturedly. "This place is a mad-house, anyway. No, not you, Jack," she spoke into the phone. "Somebody just bumped into me. Listen, I'll call you back, ok?"

Casey bent down and picked up the woman's items, which were a notebook and her FBI ID. Casey glanced at her name and saw it was Samantha Spade.

"Thanks," Samantha replied, as Casey handed her items back to her.

"I don't meant to intrude," Casey said, "but your ID fell open, and I couldn't help but notice your name: Samantha Spade. Sam Spade? Were your parents mystery fans?"

"Actually, they were fans of Humphrey Bogart," Samantha replied.

"Ah, I see. It's very distinctive. My name's Casey Novak, by the way. I'm an assistant district attorney in New York City."

"New York City!" Samantha exclaimed. "There's where I'm based. I work with the Missing Persons Squad of the local FBI office there."

"Oh, small world!" Casey said. She did a double take when she saw people were running past the doors outside. They appeared to be in a panic. "What's going on out there?"

"Let's find out," Sam said, as she and Casey left the hotel and stepped onto the street.

People were running wildly around, pointing upwards at the sky, like frightened extras in one of those Godzilla movies. When Casey glanced up at what they were all pointing at, she didn't see Godzilla--yet what she did see was just as terrifying.

Above the street that she and Sam stood on was a docking platform for the fleet of blimps that took tourists for air-borne tours of the city. And although Casey couldn't tell what it was, there was something obviously very wrong up there. Several of the blimps drifted around, out of control, while debris from the platform fell onto the street.

Then there was a large booming noise, and both Casey and Sam watched in horror as the entire docking platform broke off from the edge and came crashing down the side of the building--

--right down on top of them.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Look! Up in the Sky!

_A/N: My thanks to (in the order their reviews appeared): Andrea, Nera, Oneredneckgoddess, and RebelByrdie. Your words of encouragement are greatly appreciated! _

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Five**

**"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird...it's a plane..."**

_Fifteen minutes ago_

Olivia entered the lobby of the Gotham City Regency Hotel with an anxious feeling in the pit of her gut. She had received a phone call a while ago from Don Cragen, saying that he had arrived in Gotham City with Munch, Fin…and Elliot. Olivia, who only had about three hours sleep thanks to a busy night last night, was almost tempted to say she wouldn't meet them. Yet the words "I'll meet you in the lobby" came out of her mouth before she could even stop them.

She had just dropped Alex off at the Gotham City District Attorney's Office. Harvey Dent was making good on his promise last night to proceed with the case against Rupert Thorne. Olivia received a call this morning from ADA Rachel Dawes--who had successfully prosecuted The Penguin, and who Dent had now chosen to handle the Thorne case--and she asked if Olivia could get a message to Alex. Rachel, who knew Alex's real name, needed to know if Alex would testify in the Thorne case.

And while Alex--who was a former ADA herself--was taking a nostalgic stroll down memory lane by spending a few hours with Rachel in a prosecutor's office, Olivia faced the terrifying prospect of meeting her old friends and co-workers once again.

'Good God,' Olivia thought, as she gazed at the vast crowds of people in the hotel lobby. 'You'd think every cop in the country was here!'

Yet when she spotted a man with a bald head standing among the throng, Olivia smiled. She walked up to him and said, "Welcome to Gotham city, Captain."

Don Cragen turned and gave her a big smile. "Olivia!" After giving her a welcoming hug, he waved at somebody else in the crowd. "John! Fin! Over here!"

John Munch and Fin Tutuola emerged from the wall of humanity that surrounded them. They each gave Olivia a hug--yet when Munch hugged her, Olivia got poked by the bag he had slung under his arm.

"What's that thing?" Olivia asked him. "Your overnight bag?"

"Oh, wait till you see this!" Fin told her with a derisive laugh.

"I bought some equipment," Munch told her, ignoring his partner. "A new camera, telephoto lens, night vision…."

"What? Are you going hunting?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"I am," Munch somberly replied. "I'm hunting the Batman."

Olivia stared at him as if he were insane. "You're hunting….the Batman?"

"The Lone Gunmen are paying good money for anybody who can provide a decent picture of Batman," Munch said. "And I intend to take that picture."

"I doubt he'll just pose for you, John," Cragen said.

"Wait a minute, you're forgetting something!" Fin exclaimed. "Liv knows the Batman. You're his Bat-buddy, right, Liv?"

"Bat-buddy?" Olivia said with a scowl. She slowly shook her head. "Fin, I wouldn't--" Olivia paused when she saw Fin give her a little wink, indicating that he was just joking.

"Sure," Fin pressed on, "just give Batman a call, and maybe he'll come pose for a picture with Munch!"

"Of course he will," Olivia said sarcastically, "right after he's done signing autographs at the ball park."

Cragen nodded at someone behind Olivia and said, "We've found her, Elliot…or she found us, however you want to put it. "

Olivia turned and saw her old partner, Elliot Stabler, was standing behind her. He had a small smile on his face. Olivia didn't know what to say, and so when he walked over to her with his hands held out, she hugged him tightly. It felt so good to be held by him once more. Despite the differences that drove them apart, Olivia still missed Elliot terribly.

"How you doing, Liv?" he said gently. "You look great."

"Thanks for the sentiment," she replied, as they broke their embrace. "But I wish I felt as good as I supposedly look. I only got about three hours sleep last night."

"The Joker?" Elliot asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, him and the Question Mark Guy have kept us up most of the night last night."

"The Question Mark Guy?" Munch said with a frown.

"Yeah, he's…well, we don't quite know who he is just yet," Olivia said. "He's some kind of an informant who signs his notes with a green question mark."

"Looks like Gotham City's been keeping you busy," Cragen commented.

"Yeah," Olivia said with a slight laugh. "The night life is definitely all that it's cracked up to be. Say, where's Casey?"

"Don't know," Cragen replied, as he scanned the crowds. "I let her know we were coming, and she said she'd meet us in the lobby. But I don't think she had any idea just how crowded it would be down here."

"Detective Benson!" a woman's voice called out from the crowd.

At first Olivia thought it was Casey, but she was stunned to see Lois Lane approach her with a younger man in tow. "You probably don't remember me," she said. "I'm Lois Lane, from the Metropolis Daily Planet."

"Of course I remember you, Ms. Lane," Olivia said with a smile. "You covered the Penguin slave trafficking case for the Planet here in Gotham City--which you've done a great job reporting on, I must say."

"Thanks," Lane replied with a smile. "Your stock has certainly increased since then. I've heard you've formed the Special Victims Unit for the Gotham City Police."

"Yes, I did," Olivia replied, feeling her face turn red with embarrassment. Olivia always hated speaking about herself.

When Olivia glanced over at the young man who stood awkwardly next to her, Lane abruptly said, "Oh God, where are my manners? This is Jimmy Olsen, staff photographer for the Planet, and standing next to him is Clark K…what the hell?" Lane added, when she realized she gestured at nothing more than empty space. "Jimmy, where did Clark go?"

"Dunno, Ms. Lane," Olsen said, also looking perplexed. "He was standing right there."

Then everybody in the lobby flinched when they all heard a loud booming noise from outside.

"The hell was that?" Elliot said. "It sounded like an explosion!"

When Olivia glanced out the glass doors, she saw Casey standing outside on the street with a young blond woman. They both were staring upwards at something above them with sheer horror on their faces.

And then, within a blink of an eye, Olivia saw a flash of red and blue streak by the doors, and Casey and the blond woman seemingly vanished into thin air. A spilt second later, a large iron girder smashed into the ground right where they stood.

"CASEY!" Olivia cried, as she frantically ran towards the doors.

**B&B**

_Ten Minutes Ago_

"This is gonna be so much fun, mommy!"

Darlene smiled down at her four year old daughter Tara, who was bouncing around with so much excitement that the little plastic angel wings she wore almost fluttered as if they were real. They stood on the blimp platform, several stories above the ground, waiting in line to step into the gondola, the passenger compartment that hung below that vast air bag which was the heart and soul of the blimp.

Darlene really had no desire to be floating around the city in a blimp, but once Tara saw one of them serenely drifting in the skies above the Showcase Square shopping district, the little girl immediately wanted to ride it.

"We'll be flying, mommy!" Tara had breathlessly told her. "Just like the real angels do!"

'Angels,' Darlene thought with disgust as she and Tara took a step toward the gondola. Tara had angels on the brain since she was two, and there was no sign of this weird obsession ever letting up. Tara insisted on wearing her little angel wings everywhere they went--no matter what the weather was, or what she wore. As much as she loved her daughter, it was a little embarrassing for Darlene to see the people in the Showcase Square staring at Tara's angel wings. Some of them thought she looked adorable, but most thought she was odd. Darlene just wished that Tara would grow up and move on past this silly angel phase.

"Look out!" someone cried.

Darlene pulled Tara towards her in a protective hug as she watched a steel girder come loose and plunge itself into the air bag of the blimp that they had been waiting to get on. It looked like a hot knife slicing through butter. The blimp's gondola, no longer held aloft, crashed hard onto the platform, which let out a groan as it shuddered, and then began to tilt over the side of the building.

"Oh my God!" Darlene cried, as she held onto Tara with one arm. She reached out with her other arm and grabbed a railing in order to keep from falling over the side. "Hold on baby! Just hold on to me!"

Then Darlene was horrified to see that the metal railing she clung to for support merely broke off as if it were so much balsa wood. With Tara clinging to her, Darlene helplessly slid out to the very edge of the platform, where her slide was stopped once her feet hit a small metal grating. Yet the platform was still slowly falling over the side of the building, and people all around them were screaming in horror as they each tried to hold onto something to prevent from falling off. But if the platform kept tilting the way it did, it wouldn't be long before Darlene would fall past the narrow metal grate that had originally stopped her fall.

And she and Tara would helplessly plunge to their deaths below.

"Mommy, what's happening!" Tara cried.

"Just hang on to me, Tara," Darlene said. "No matter what happens, just hold on to me!"

'Please God,' Darlene thought, as she gazed up at the clear blue sky, 'if there really are angels, please send them right now!'

**B&B**

_Five Minutes Ago_

"Wow, these humans really like to pack 'em in every conceivable space, don't they, Clark?"

Clark Kent let out a weary sigh. He and Kara were walking through the jam-packed hotel lobby with Jimmy and Lois leading the way in front of them, when Kara just made that statement. She said it in just the barest of whispers, yet she still should be more careful.

Clark leaned in and was about to warn Kara about how it wasn't a good idea to refer to people as humans, especially since she was trying to fit in with them. But something got his attention. It was a loud, shrill noise coming from outside the hotel walls that his super hearing easily picked up.

It was the sound of a mass group of people all screaming in fear.

When Clark saw Kara's eyes abruptly go wide with alarm, he knew that she also picked up on the sounds as well. He gently grabbed her by the arm, which made her cease walking, and asked, "You hear them, too?"

"Yes," Kara replied. "What's happening?"

"Whatever it is, it sounds bad," Clark said grimly. "Are you wearing your 'work clothes' underneath?"

"Of course."

"Then let's go," Clark said, as he ran towards an empty alcove. He pulled open his suit shirt and tie, revealing the bold red and yellow 'S' emblem on his chest, which was his Kyptonian family symbol. He glanced through the walls with his X-Ray vision and saw that the revolving doors led out to an open-air courtyard that was secluded from the street. 'Perfect,' Clark thought, as he ran towards the revolving doors. "Just follow my lead, Kara."

"Right behind you, Cuz."

**B&B**

The revolving doors spun around at such high speed, that anybody who witnessed them would have seen only a blur. Yet inside, Kal-El had stripped off his alter-ego's suit, folded it, and tucked it away within the pouch in his cape--all within the blink of an eye. Now clad in the red and blue outfit that was familiar to most citizens of Metropolis, he emerged from the revolving doors and flew up into the sky, glancing down briefly to see Kara taking her turn at changing into her 'work clothes' within the revolving doors.

Kal-El quickly sized up the situation on the street. The blimp docking platform, located on top of the building adjacent to the hotel, was in trouble. There were debris raining down on the street, including a massive steel girder that was falling right on top of two women who stood just outside the hotel doors.

There was no time to grab the metal before it hit, so Kal-El swooped down towards the two women with his arms held out. Once he reached them, Kal-El slowed his speed, briefly stepping onto the sidewalk as he grabbed the women in his arms, then jumped back up into full flying speed. If he didn't do this maneuver, Kal-El would have snapped their spines in half by grabbing them while in full-speed flight.

He carried the women all the way down the street, safely out of the line of fire of the falling debris, where he placed them down on the corner. They both stared at him with their mouths hanging open in shock.

"Excuse me, ladies," Kal-El said, with a polite tip of his head. "Just stay here, and you'll be safe."

**B&B**

"Wait!" Casey said to the muscular man in the blue and red outfit. "W-Who are you!"

The black-haired man turned back to her and smiled. He had the most piercing blue eyes she'd ever seen. "A friend," he said.

Then he ran a ways down the street, jumped into the air--

--and kept going, flying straight up into the sky.

Casey stood and gaped at him, until she felt a hand grab her shoulder. She glanced over at Sam, who also stared up at the man in disbelief. "A-Are you ok, Casey?" she asked in a whisper.

"Did you just see that, too?" Casey asked her.

"You mean the guy in the blue and red suit taking off like a bird?" Sam asked. She nodded slightly. "Yeah…I saw that, too."

"Oh good," Casey said with a sigh. "At least I'm not hallucinating…."

"If you are, then we're both hallucinating," Sam said with a nervous laugh. Then Sam's eyes grew wide with horror as she pointed up at the sky. "Oh my God, Casey, look!"

Casey was stunned to see what appeared to be a woman and a small child--each still clinging to each other--falling off the side of the blimp docking platform several hundred feet above them.

**B&B**

Kal-El was about to grab the platform when he saw the mother and her child fall off the edge. He dove down after them swept them both up in his arms.

"It's all right," he said, as he flew them up to the stability of the building's roof. When he placed them down on the roof, the woman stared at him with a mixture of awe and terror, while the little girl--who wore angel's wings--began to bounce up and down happily.

"I told you, mommy!" she cried with joy. "I _told_ you there really were angels!"

"Oh, my baby!" the woman said, as she hugged her daughter. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you!"

Kal-El leapt back up into the air. The platform was very unstable, and a sweep of it with his X-Ray vision revealed why: the supports had been sabotaged with acid. 'This was deliberate!' he thought.

He dove over the side, grabbed the edge of the platform and pulled up until it was once again level with the top of the building. "Get off the platform!" he called to the people. "I'll hold it steady until everybody's back on the building!"

The people quickly did what he told them, all abandoning the platform for the safety of the building. When one of the platform's main support struts buckled, it caught Kal-El off guard--but even though he quickly corrected himself, the sudden shift caused one of the blimp gondolas, whose airbag was destroyed, to fall off the side of the platform. It was empty, yet it could still cause a lot of damage on the street. However, Kal-El could not release the weakened platform, or else it would collapse, causing an even bigger problem.

"Kara!" he called.

"Got it, Cuz!" Kara replied, as she streaked past him in a flash of blue and red.

"Good going!" Kal-El said. Turning his attention back to the platform, he realized that he would have to take care of it once and for all.

**B&B**

"CASEY!" Olivia cried, as she ran onto the sidewalk, which had been pierced by the slab of steel. She glanced all around, but could not see the petite ADA anywhere. 'Oh God,' Olivia thought, a she stared at the massive metal slab with horror, 'don't tell me she's been hit by this thing!'

Elliot tapped her shoulder, and when Olivia stared at where he pointed, she was relieved to see Casey standing at the far end of the street with a blond-haired woman. "She was nowhere near this thing," Elliot assured her.

"But Casey was standing right out here," Olivia insisted. "How did she get all the way--"

Olivia paused when she saw Elliot was staring wide-eyed at something in the sky.

Olivia glanced up, and when she saw it, she promptly said, "Sweet Jesus!"

A large object was falling through the air. It was one of the gondolas that hung from underneath the blimps. Yet it wasn't crashing down, instead it slowly drifted to the ground as if it were as light as a feather--which didn't make any sense to Olivia, since the air bag was obviously deflated, so what the hell was preventing the thing from plummeting to the ground?

At that moment, Cragen leaned forward and asked, "Is that a _girl_ on the end?"

When Olivia saw her, she let out a gasp. It was indeed a girl who held onto the end of the gondola. Clad in a blue outfit, with red boots and a cape, she had long blond hair that flowed in the breeze.

Olivia watched, stunned, as the girl landed--and then she gently placed the massive gondola down on the street. It was an impossible sight, for the gondola must have weighed several thousand pounds, yet the girl handled it like it was a cloud.

She glanced over at them, and gave Olivia a broad smile and a wave. Olivia couldn't help but wave back, feeling oddly like a spectator at the Thanksgiving Day Parade. And then the girl--who couldn't be anymore than fifteen, at most--lifted off and flew into the air above them.

"May I have your attention?" she called out in an authoritative voice, as she hovered in the air. "Will everyone please remain clear of the street? Thank you." Then she glanced upwards and added, "All clear!"

When Olivia glanced up at what the flying girl had indicated, her eyes grew wide with shock when she saw a man, similarly clad in a red and blue outfit, hanging from the blimp platform on the edge of the adjacent building. "Oh, Christ!" she cried. "That guy's gonna fall!"

"It's all right, Olivia," Lois Lane told her with a grin. "Trust me, that man is in no danger at all!"

Olivia was further stunned when the man appeared to give a tug on the end of the blimp docking platform with both hands. And then the entire platform was jarred loose from the edge of the building--yet instead of falling, the man calmly flew away with the entire platform in his hands. As he passed over Olivia, he released one hand briefly to give a wave to someone on the ground below.

Then Olivia did a double take when she saw Lois Lane wave back at him, the broad smile still on her face.

"You know him?" Olivia asked, shocked.

"You could say that," Lois said coyly.

Casey ran up to them with the blond woman beside her. "That man saved our lives!" Casey said excitedly. "He's the flying guy from Metropolis, isn't he?"

"We call him Superman," Lois told her. She gestured at the flying girl and added, "And that's Supergirl."

The assembled crowds on the ground all let out startled cries as Supergirl abruptly did a joyful back flip in mid air and then twirled expertly around as she soared away into the sunny blue sky. Olivia noted that she appeared to have all the moves down pat, like a seasoned acrobat.

When Fin saw how casually Jimmy Olsen was taking pictures of the entire event, he turned to Munch and said, "Why aren't you shooting pictures of this, too!"

"Uh? Wha--oh!" Munch scrambled to pull his camera out of the bag. But then he stopped. "It's too late, anyway!" he said dejectedly. "They're gone!"

Many of the people, all still stunned by the sight they'd just witnessed, were starting to wander out into the streets and snarl up traffic. Cars began to angrily honk their horns as the witnesses all gathered to talk about what they had just seen, completely oblivious to the fact that they were blocking traffic. When she saw a fire truck and several other emergency units get stuck in traffic at the far end of the street, Olivia shook her head in disgust at a pair of uniformed Gotham City cops who stood off to the side, also gabbing about what they had just seen.

"Excuse me," she said to them, "but don't you think you should get the street clear for the emergency vehicles?"

"And who the hell are you, lady?" one of them, a man, shot back. "The police commissioner?"

'You want to play hard ball?' Olivia thought with a nod. 'Fine, we'll play hard ball.' She held up her Gotham City PD badge and said, "I'm Inspector Benson, GCPD. Now go clear the damn street!"

"Yes ma'am!" the cop said, as he and his partner abruptly ran out to do her bidding. "Right away, Ma'am!"

"Sorry, Inspector!" the other cop sheepishly said.

Olivia went out into the street and aided the uniforms in clearing the pedestrians back onto the sidewalks. The firefighters, who watched her, all gave Olivia the thumbs up sign as a way of saying thanks as they rode past on their fire engine.

When she turned back to the others, Olivia flinched when she saw Elliot, Munch, Fin, Cragen and Casey all staring at her with renewed awe.

"Inspector Benson?" Elliot asked in shock.

"Well, well, well," Lois Lane said with a grin. "Looks like Commissioner Gordon was _really_ impressed with your talents, Olivia!"

All Olivia could do was to give her an awkward shrug in response. She was further mortified when Jimmy Olsen said, "Smile, Inspector Benson!"

Olivia felt like the proverbial deer caught in the headlights as he took her picture.

**B&B**

Bruce Wayne woke up even before Alfred got the door open and entered his bedroom. He saw that it was still daylight, so something big must have happened, because Alfred wouldn't have disturbed him otherwise.

"Sorry to wake you so early, Master Bruce," Alfred said.

"Not a problem, Alfred," Bruce said. He was already sitting up on the edge of bed, completely alert. "What is it?"

Alfred began to say something--then stopped himself. He then shook his head as he turned on the TV. "Perhaps it's better if you just saw for yourself, sir."

The local news was on, and reporter Summer Gleason was breathlessly reporting about the big rescue at the blimp docking platform in downtown Gotham City. While she babbled on, they showed footage of a man clad in a blue and red outfit hanging off the edge of the platform. Then Bruce realized that the man wasn't hanging off the platform, he was holding it in place.

Bruce and Alfred quietly watched as the man, whose red cape flowed in the breeze, pulled the platform free of the building and flew off with it. "He later placed the damaged platform down in an empty field by the railroad tracks," Gleason's voiceover stated. The camera zoomed down into the street as two Gotham City policemen began to direct people off the street.

"Meanwhile, Gotham's Finest took charge of the crowds that accumulated on the streets, led by Gotham City Police Inspector Olivia Benson."

Bruce couldn't help but smile in admiration at Olivia's professionalism. 'Liv probably wouldn't even be rattled if aliens invaded the earth,' he thought.

"Do you think they're merely passing through, sir?" Alfred asked.

"Possibly," Bruce said. "But do me a favor, Alfred?"

"Anything, sir."

"Go through our hardcopy files and find everything you can on our flying friend from Metropolis," Bruce told him. "Call it a hunch, but I've a feeling that I may be meeting up with him very soon. And I want to be as ready for that encounter as much as I possibly can be."

**B&B**

Edward Nygma sat off to himself in a corner of an internet café, keeping himself busy by going over the floor plan of the Egyptian wing of the Great Treasures of the Ancient World Exhibition on his laptop computer. He had decided to wait here and work on the master plan for a while until the police had finally left Thorne's home.

'The Eye Of Isis,' he thought, as he stared longingly at the great jewel which was set within the top of a staff. This, and so much more will be within his grasp very shortly. And with Thorne out of the way, Nygma will now wind up with all of these treasures, instead of merely getting a percentage. 'It only makes sense that I get it all, since it's my plan.'

"OH MY GOD!" one of the other patrons of the café abruptly cried out.

"Joe, turn up the sound!" another patron called out.

Nygma glanced up as one of the countermen turned up the sound on a massive TV that was above the counter. His eyes grew wide as he watched the rescue of several dozen people from a damaged blimp platform by two super powered beings: a man and a young girl. His mouth dropped open in a mixture of shock and horror as the TV reporter explained that not only could this super-powered couple fly, but that they appeared to be near invincible.

'Good God,' Nygma thought dismally, 'as if dealing with the Batman wasn't hard enough, now I've got these two to deal with!'

Shaking his head, he quickly shut down the floor plan and opened a new file on his computer. 'Nobody's truly invincible,' Nygma told himself, as he began researching on the 'net. 'Everybody has a weakness, even those two. It's just a matter of finding and exploiting it.'

**B&B**

Harley smiled as she finished pouring the hot butter over the big bowl of popcorn. "All ready, Mister J!"

Still clad in the over-sized t-shirt she wore to bed--which was actually early this morning, when they finally got in--Harley carried the bowl of popcorn into the living room. She had originally wanted to make her lover a big, hearty breakfast when they first woke up--but the Joker, eagerly anticipating the news of the blimp platform's destruction, along with the deaths of countless policemen and women who would be on it, had wanted nothing but popcorn to eat while he watched the fruits of his labor on TV.

"It's gonna be raining cops today!" he had cheerfully cried. "And that kind of entertainment requires popcorn!"

Harley smiled at how wonderfully childlike the Joker could be, especially when he threw himself into his work like this. She considered herself to be a very lucky woman to have met this marvelous, exciting man. 'And to think, when I first met Mister J, I thought he was crazy; when in fact I've come to realize that the entire world is crazy, and he's the most sane man in it!'

Harley's good mood evaporated when she entered the living room and saw the Joker was kneeling in despair on the floor in front of the TV, wiping away tears from his eyes.

"Pudding!" Harley cried. "What is it? What's wrong?"

The Joker, too distraught to speak, could only feebly gesture at the TV.

Harley's eyes grew wide with terror when she saw news footage of Superman holding up the blimp platform long enough for the people on it to run to safety on the building's roof.

"The Batman!" the Joker cried, as he pounded the floor with his fist. "It's always the Batman who ruins my fun! He's making it really hard for a guy to get his freak on this city!"

"B-But that's not the Batman, Pudding," Harley said. "It looks like Su--"

The Joker got to his feet, went over to Harley and belted her across the face. Harley fell to the floor, the bowl of popcorn smashing into a million pieces next to her. She cringed in terror as the Joker loomed over her.

"You think I don't know what Batman looks like!" Joker ranted at her. "I KNOW that's not Batman, you imbecile! But no matter who stopped my fun, it's STILL Batman's fault! He probably hangs out with that flying guy in the Superfriends, or whatever the hell they call their little club of do-gooders! No, my pet, Batman is to blame for this outrage, and it's Batman who shall pay!"

"Whatever you say, Mister J," Harley said, as she still cringed on the floor. She was just grateful that he was no longer in a slapping mood. "But how are we gonna get to the Batman?"

"We can't get to the Batman," the Joker said. Then he broke into a malevolent smile as he pointed at the TV. "But we can get to him through his friends!"

Harley saw who the Joker pointed at: it was Olivia Benson, who was busy helping to clear the street on the TV.

"It's high time we've invited the good Inspector Benson over for a housewarming party, eh, Harley?" the Joker asked.

"How do ya think she takes her tea, Mister J?" Harley said with a broad smile.

Their raucous laughter echoed off the blank walls.

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: My thanks to (in the order their reviews appeared): Nera, Andrea, and_ _RebelByrdie. Thanks again for the words of encouragment!_

**Batman & Benson**

**Six**

**"Changes Proposed And An Appointment Made"**

"Ok, we're all set," Rachel Dawes said, as she made some final notes in her note pad.

Alex, who sat across the desk from her, gave Rachel a smile that she did not feel. They were seated in Rachel's workplace at the Gotham City District Attorney's office. Although Alex was pleased to help with the prosecution of Boss Thorne--especially since the bastard had tried to have her killed--she could not contain a deep feeling of depression that welled up from within her.

Once again, Alex was involved in a major case, and yet once again, she found herself seated on the other side of the desk as nothing more than a witness. For a woman who was once a major player in the court system, it was hard for her to be pushed to the sidelines, and leave the control of the situation to someone else.

Working at the women's shelter helped to soothe the pain of losing the ADA job that Alex had so loved. Although it wasn't an ADA position, it still enabled Alex to do the one thing she loved most: to help people in need. Yet now that her cover as Nora Bradshaw had been blown, she had effectively lost that job, as well.

'I've moved on as best I could since coming here to Gotham City, and now it's all gone,' she thought dismally. 'I'm getting so tired of having to constantly rebuild my life every time I turn around.'

But the thought of leaving Gotham City had never even occurred to her. Alex actually loved this town, which--despite its grand, 300-year east coast history--still had an untamed, Wild West mentality about it. Alex envied Rachel, because she was a prosecutor in a lawless place where being an ADA mattered the most. The problem was, as much as she wanted to remain in Gotham City, Alex didn't know what she could do now that her Nora Bradshaw cover was gone.

"Ok, so we--" Rachel started to say, until she glanced up and gave Alex a concerned look. "Hey, you ok?"

Before she could answer, both Alex and Rachel were startled when a wild-eyed young man in a suit burst into the room. "Rachel," he shouted, "turn on the news!"

"Oh, jeez, Gary! You know, I'm really getting sick of you barging in on me all day!" Rachel said with disgust.

"Sorry, I'm very sorry," Gary said to the both of them as he backed out of the room. "But trust me. Just turn on the news right now!"

"I apologize for him," Rachel said with a shake of her head. "He's new in the office, and can get pretty riled up about things quite easily."

"Just like any rookie," Alex said, with a wave of her hand. "It's no big deal."

"Might as well see what he was babbling about," Rachel said, as she turned on the TV with the remote.

Alex and Rachel watched, stunned, as two super-powered people saved the lives of those on the stricken blimp landing platform. Then Alex's amazement turned to outrage when she got a good look at the young, super-powered woman. "She's just a kid! What the hell is that girl doing risking her life like that?!"

"She's just as powerful as Superman," Rachel commented. "Besides, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell her that she can't help out!"

Alex laughed at the joke. "Yeah, you're right. Excuse me, I was reverting to my days of being a Special Victim's Unit prosecutor. I just can't shake being very over protective of children."

"That's understandable," Rachel said. She pointed at the TV. "There's Olivia."

Alex smiled warmly when she saw her lover clearing pedestrian traffic from the streets in the aftermath. Always working, always fighting, always caring--that was the Olivia whom Alex knew and loved. 'Way to go, babe!' she thought. Alex wished she could do more to help Olivia than she could.

"She's done a remarkable job in setting up the new SVU for the Gotham City police," Rachel commented. "So much so that I've heard Gordon made her an Inspector. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is," Alex said with a great swelling of pride.

"Does that mean she'll be staying on in Gotham City then?" Rachel hopefully asked.

"We don't know yet," Alex replied. "Olivia has until Monday to give Gordon her final answer either way."

Rachel nodded. "And what about you?"

Alex stared back at her in puzzlement. "What about me?"

"I was wondering if you'd ever consider returning to your old job as a prosecutor, Alex."

"I would love to, but going back to New York just wouldn't be very practical for me right now," Alex said. "Besides, I like it here in Gotham City, now. I've come to think of this place as home."

Rachel smiled, then shook her head. "Actually, I meant coming to work as a prosecutor for the Gotham City District Attorney's Office."

Alex was so shocked that her jaw momentarily dropped open. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am," Rachel replied. "Gotham City now has itself a crack SVU team, but nobody to prosecute their cases. The way it's set up now, an SVU case gets tried by the first prosecutor who happens to be free at the moment. But my boss, Mr. Dent, recently studied the New York City SVU, and he realized that part of the reason it worked so well was because they had a dedicated prosecutor working only on SVU cases twenty four-seven. That's what we need here, Alex. And I can't think of a better person to do that than you."

"Let me get this straight," Alex said. "You're offering me a job?"

"Yes," Rachel replied. "Although, technically, only my boss can offer you the position. But he's asked me to see what you thought about the idea. If you accept, you can discuss the details with him."

"I'm stunned, as well as honored, that Mr. Dent would offer me this position," Alex said. "But does he know that I'm still a marked woman? Thanks to these damned drug dealers, I've got a bounty on my head. And I'm no longer in the Witness Protection Program."

"He's fully aware of that, Alex," Rachel said. "And he doesn't care. You should know that if you should become an ADA, you'll receive the full protection of this office, as well as that of the Gotham City police." She paused. "May I ask what have you been doing for protection since you've been kicked out of Witness Protection?"

"I have Olivia," Alex said. "And I also have a…private bodyguard."

"A private bodyguard can be very expensive," Rachel said.

"Well, this one doesn't charge for his services," Alex replied. "It's Batman."

"Batman?!" Now it was Rachel's turn to be shocked. "You know him?"

"I guess you can say we've kept in touch since the Penguin case," Alex said.

"That's very impressive," Rachel responded. Yet the look on her face was odd, as if she was somehow annoyed.

"Is something wrong, Rachel?"

"No," she said quickly. "It's just that he--um, I mean…Batman isn't known for making friends very easily."

"Well, I guess Liv's closer to him than I am."

"How close friends are they?" Rachel wanted to know.

Alex was actually grateful when the office intercom buzzed, and a secretary reminded Rachel that her next appointment was here.

"Thanks, Traci," Rachel replied into the intercom. "Sorry, Alex, I have to go. And, please forgive me for acting so silly just now. I guess I was just taken aback by what you said about Batman being your bodyguard. I hope you will consider our offer, because Mr. Dent and I would love to have you on our team."

"I will," Alex promised, as she strode out the door. "I need to discuss it with Olivia, first, and then I'll call you with my answer."

"Great! Take care," Rachel called.

But as Alex walked down the hallway, on her way to meet with the D.A.'s office investigator who Rachel had arranged to drive her home, she couldn't help but get the feeling that Rachel Dawes had been extremely jealous of her relationship with the Batman.

'But what reason would Rachel have to be jealous?' she wondered.

**B&B**

After Olivia had left the hotel, she spent the better part of the day at the SVU office, working with her detectives on trying to find the missing Dr. Quinn. But thus far, there had been no leads whatsoever. It appeared as if the woman had disappeared into thin air, right along with the Joker.

They received another SVU case, which turned out to have a far more happier ending when the would-be rapist grabbed his victim and tried to pull her into an alley. Much to the rapist's shock--and the victim's relief--more than half the people on the street who witnessed the attack all pulled out their guns and aimed them at the man. They were off-duty cops, all in town for the police convention. The rapist gave up without a fight.

In fact, Commissioner Gordon had later told Olivia that he had been receiving early reports from several precincts who said that they've witnessed a sharp drop in crime since the police convention had come to town. "If only we can keep these guys on the streets all year round," Gordon wistfully told her.

When Elliot called and asked if she were in the mood for a late lunch/early dinner, Olivia accepted. Unfortunately, the Joker escape case was presently at a dead end, and things were otherwise so quiet in the office that Olivia could literally hear a pin drop. She figured it was time for a break, and it was probably high time for them to have a sit down chat, anyway.

And so, about a half an hour later, Elliot sat back in his seat and said, "This is really nice."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed. "It is."

They both gazed up from the table they shared and admired the sights of the Showcase Square shopping plaza. It was essentially several city blocks, which contained a multitude of stores of various sizes, that had been enclosed overhead by a massive glass roof.

When the Gotham City design firm hired to build a shopping mall for the city first came out with the idea of simply encasing the existing shopping district in this manner, they were resoundingly hooted at in the media. Yet when the project was finished, it gave new life to the once-ailing shopping district. Now enclosed by the roof overhead, the area no longer had to concern itself with the weather, and quaint little outdoor cafes, such as the one Olivia and Elliot sat in now, sprang up all over Showcase Square. There was also a carnival, complete with a carousel, and other rides which delighted the toddlers and small children who rode them.

'Gotham City has come a long way,' Olivia thought as she gazed at the peaceful surroundings around her. 'Maybe it really has become a great place for tourism after all.'

When she glanced at Elliot, Olivia saw that he'd been staring reflectively at her all along. "The hell you looking at, Stabler?" she jokingly asked.

"Nothing," he said with a smile as he took a sip of his beverage. "How's Alex doing?"

"Other than the fact she's caught up in yet another attempt on her life, she's doing good," Olivia replied. "I dropped her off at the Gotham City DA's office earlier." She glanced around at the crowds which surrounded them. "Where did the rest of the SVU gang run off to?"

"It's a shopping mall, so they're shopping," Elliot said with a shrug. "Fin mentioned something about wanting to check out the music store around the corner. Cragen said he was going to check out something called The Gotham Bookworm? What the hell is that, anyway?"

"That's a book store," Olivia said. She smiled as she recalled her last visit there. "It's a great place! It's very big, three stories tall, with a huge selection of books."

"Maybe I should check it out. Munch didn't say where he was going--but, knowing Munch, he's probably out hunting the Batman as we speak. Have you heard about his latest, crazy scheme?"

Olivia nodded. "If he wants a picture of the Batman, then he should wait until it gets dark."

"Maybe Munch thinks he can find Batman asleep in his lair, like Dracula," Elliot said with a grin. "I don't know where Casey went."

"I do," Olivia said. She gestured to the table just behind Elliot, where Casey sat with her new-found friend, the blond-haired FBI agent. They were both deep in conversation. "She's really in tight with her new buddy, huh?"

"If you've experienced what they've just been through, wouldn't you instantly bond with the person whom you've shared it with?"

Olivia understood what he meant. She still had chills just from watching Superman and Supergirl in action. But to actually be rescued by Superman--to have your life saved by him--that must have been something really special. "Yeah, I see your point." She gestured at the FBI agent. "You know who she is?"

"She works out of the FBI office in New York City," Elliot replied. "And her name is Samantha Spade."

"Samantha…_Sam Spade?_ That's her name?" Olivia said incredulously. Then she shrugged. "Oh well, we've seen stranger things being on the Job."

"Like a guy who dresses up as a bat every night and goes looking for rough trade?" Elliot asked. "Not to mention a man and a young woman with super strength and the ability to fly around like birds?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, with a slow shake of her head. "Welcome to Gotham City! When we throw a party, everybody's invited, even Superman. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you, how's it going with your new partner?"

"Good, very good," Elliot replied. "She's not you, Liv. She's still got a lot to learn about SVU cases. But she's still a good cop."

"She?" Olivia asked, surprised. "They gave you another female partner?"

Elliot nodded. "Detective Dani Beck, formerly of the warrant squad. She's originally from Denmark."

"A Dutch cop?" Olivia said. "The NYPD's looking pretty far and wide these days to fill the ranks. Did Beck come down with you?"

"She had other plans this weekend," Elliot said. "You know, Liv, I meant what I said before, about how great you looked. I've never seen you more relaxed, more at peace with yourself, than you do now."

Olivia gave him a strange look. "I'd love to meet this person whom you keep talking about, El. Because she sounds like she's got it together a lot more than I do!"

"Aren't you happy here?" he asked.

"Despite the problems, I still love this place," Olivia replied. "I love the people. Everybody's been so good to me, Elliot. But--"

"But--?" Elliot prompted.

"I don't know, El…." Olivia muttered. "I don't know if I'm going to stay."

"You've been promoted to Inspector, you're running your own SVU squad, you're working for a police commissioner who obviously thinks the world of you," Elliot said, counting off each point on his fingers. "You'd be crazy to leave all of this, Liv. And for what--to go back to being just another grunt cop on the streets in New York?"

"No, you don't understand, I'm thinking of packing it in altogether," Olivia said softly. "I'm seriously thinking of quitting the Job after this weekend."

Elliot leaned forward in his seat and asked, "Why?"

"Um, it's something I've been thinking about for a while, now," Olivia said, as she cast her gaze down to the salad that she had barely touched.

"Ok, right," Elliot said. "But you still didn't answer my question, Liv: why?" When she hesitated, he added, "It's not because of what happened with Gitano, was it?"

The image of the doomed little Ryan Clifford appeared in Olivia's mind, and she shook her head in sorrow. "I'm just not cut out for this job anymore, Elliot."

"That's a big load of crap right there," Elliot told her firmly. "You're a damn good cop, Olivia!"

"Tell that to Ryan Clifford," Olivia muttered.

"It's not your fault that he's dead," Elliot said.

"In the bus station, I had a gun pointed right at that bastard, Gitano, and I didn't pull the damn trigger," Olivia replied. "If I had, Ryan might still be alive."

"But you're forgetting that Gitano was holding a hostage--Ryan's sister, Rebecca--at that time. By holding your fire, you saved her life--at great risk to your own, I might add. Or are you forgetting that Gitano slashed your throat? If you must blame anyone for Ryan's death, blame Gitano. He killed Ryan; you didn't, Olivia." Elliot dragged his chair closer so that he was face to face with her. "I realize that I've said things to you in the heat of the moment that I regret saying now. I take it all back. I was acting like an idiot."

"You weren't being an idiot, Elliot."

"Yes, I was. Look, Liv, if you want to leave the Job because you're sick and tired of it, that's one thing. But if you're leaving because you've got it in your head that you're not a good cop, then you'll be making a grave mistake. Because, believe me, Olivia, you are a great cop! And whether you come back to the NYPD, or stay here, either police department will be very lucky to have you."

Olivia was so moved that tears formed in her eyes. It meant the world to her to hear him say that. The only thing she could think of saying was: "Thanks, Elliot."

"No matter what you decide to do, Liv. Just promise me that, whatever decision you make, you're doing it because it makes you happy. Ok?"

"Ok," Olivia replied. "I promise."

Elliot stood up and pulled her into a tight hug. "Just be happy, Olivia. That's all I ask."

It was at that moment, while in a tight embrace with her former partner, that a realization had struck Olivia. And in that split second, she had made her decision. She knew what she would tell Gordon.

**B&B**

Rocco entered Rupert Thorne's mansion through what used to be known as the servant's entrance. The crime boss was still in police custody. Rocco had just heard on the news that Thorne was denied bail--which was bad news. While it wasn't unheard of for a crime lord to run his gang from the slammer, it wasn't a very smart idea. Too many things happened on the street that a boss behind bars couldn't keep track of. If Thorne couldn't shake his legal woes, then this could pretty much be the end of his career as a crime boss.

As he strode into the meeting room, Rocco wondered what would become of the gang with Thorne in prison. 'Maybe that's why Herby called this meeting,' he thought. 'Thorne might have orders for us from jail.'

All of Rocco's fellow captains were there, talking amongst themselves at the far end of the room. When Rocco entered, Ernie Stonefly glanced over at him and said, "Hey, Rocco, what's going on?"

Rocco shrugged. "I'm just here because I got a text message from Herby."

"Hey, I never sent you a message!" Herby said, as he entered the room. "You sent me a message, Rocco!"

"Yeah, Rocco, that's right," Ernie said, growing suspicious. "I got a message from you, as well."  
Rocco frowned at him. "I don't know what you're talking about, 'cause I never sent any text message!"  
"No," a voice said from the opposite end of the room, "I sent all the messages asking you to come here."

Rocco and everyone else turned to see Edward Nygma standing by the chair on the far end of the table. It was a large chair, with a high back, that was made especially for Boss Thorne. Nygma sat down in it, which was a pretty nervy thing to do, even with Thorne presently sitting in jail.

"You called us here?" Rocco asked, with a scowl. "Why?"

Nygma clasped his hands on the table before him and said, "To offer you all a proposition."

"How dare you!" Herby said, outraged. "With Boss Thorne wasting away in jail like this and all…how dare you to even assume that we--"

"Do you wish to hear my proposition?" Nygma said aloud, cutting Herby off. "Or do you wish to just stand around and argue like schoolchildren all day?"  
Herby was about to respond when Rocco placed a hand on his shoulder. "No, Herby, let's just hear him out. This ought to be good. Go ahead, Nygma, what's your proposition?"

Nygma sat back in the chair, looking very much at ease. "Boss Thorne originally hired me to crack the security code on one or more of the exhibits at the Great Treasures of the Ancient World Exhibition, which is here in town this weekend. But a new development occurred."

"And what might that be?" Rocco asked.

"Instead of just stealing the artifacts from only one or two of the exhibits, I can now get them all," Nygma told them.

There was a hushed silence in the room for a few seconds, before Rocco whispered, "All of them?"

Nygma smiled at him. "Yes, Rocco. We now have access to the great treasures of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Greece, Babylon, the Aztecs, the Incas, the Mayans, even the royal jewels of Atlantis. All of the priceless artifacts collected throughout recorded history is now ours for the taking."

"You managed to figure out how to break the locks on all the vaults?" Ernie asked, not sounding convinced.

"You can consider the very vaults themselves to be nonexistent," Nygma confidently told him. "The vast treasures of the ancient world are now ours for the taking."

"What does Boss Thorne have to say about this?" Herby asked.

"Nothing," Nygma replied. "He's in jail. This proposition is only for the people who are present in this room."

"You mean we're cutting Thorn out of the deal?" Rocco said, his eyebrows raised.

"Maybe we'll cut you out of the deal, too, Nygma," Ernie said, grinning. "Just after we beat the vault combinations out of ya."

Nygma waved a finger at him. "To do that would be most foolish, Ernie. Because, this plan cannot move forward without me, and if anything were to happen to me, then I've ensured it that all of you will join Thorne in prison."

"Is that a threat?" Rocco asked.

"Think of it as being merely insurance," Nygma replied. He leaned forward and added, "Oh, come now, gentlemen, look at the vast opportunity that awaits us at the moment, and you wish to ruin it with petty squabbling! And as far as Mr. Thorne is concerned, should any of you wish to return to his employ once this job is done, then be my guess. However, given the equal shares of the humongous fortune that all of us will enjoy from this job, each one of us will be one hundred times more richer than Rupert Thorne will ever be. And so each of you will be in the position to make yourself a crime boss, or whatever it is you've always dreamt of."

"We're each getting an equal share of this heist?" Mickey Longlin spoke up. "What do you figure that comes to?"

"These treasures are literally priceless, boys," Nygma said. "Time Magazine estimated that, altogether, they're worth several trillion dollars."

"Trillion?" Rocco muttered, stunned. "With a 'T'?"

"That's Trillion with a 'T', Rocco," Nygma confirmed. "And, of course, that's only a conservative estimate, at best."

One of the other captains let out a long, low whistle as Rocco and Ernie shared an impressed look.

"But if we are to act on this, then we must move now, while the treasures are here in Gotham City," Nygma said.

"You sure that's wise?" Rocco asked. "What about the Batman?"

"Yeah," Mickey said. "Not to mention Superman and that Super-kid."

"The treasures will never be more vulnerable than they are here in Gotham City," Nygma replied. "And as far as the Batman is concerned, I suspect he'll be too busy tracking down the Joker to pay any attention to us."

"And what about Superman?" Mickey asked.

Nygma flipped open a laptop computer and spun it around so that the screen faced them all. Rocco squinted and saw a website picture that displayed a bunch of glowing green rocks. "What's that?"

"Kryptonite, the one thing that can stop Superman in his tracks," Nygma triumphantly said. "It's broken up chunks of Superman's home planet."

"And where are we supposed to get that stuff?" Rocco said. "I doubt it's on sale in Showcase Square."

Nygma gave him a broad grin. "You boys are forgetting something. In addtion to hosting the police convention, as well as the Ancient Treasures exhibit, Gotham City is also playing host to the Science Exhibit this weekend. And guess what they have on display in the meteorite section?"

"Krytonite," Rocco said, impressed. "You've thought of everything, haven't, you, Nygma?"

"I wouldn't have proposed this idea in the first place if I hadn't, Rocco. We'll go and get the Kryptonite tonight. Are you in?"

Before Rocco could answer, Herby stomped his foot in anger and cried, "I've heard just about enough of this crap as I can stand! Aren't you guys forgetting your loyalty to Boss Thorne?!"

"Herby…c'mon, man, this is a lot of money we're talking about here," Mickey told him.

"And you're a bunch of ungrateful, back-stabing thugs!" Herby said.

"If you're not with us, then you're against us, Herby," Nygma warned him.

"Then I'm against you!" Herby cried. "All of you guys should be ashamed of yourselves for turning your backs on Boss Thorne like this!"

Nygma glanced at Rocco and said, "I guess we'll now split the take seven ways instead of eight."

Rocco exchanged a nod with Ernie, and together they each grabbed an arm of Herby's and quickly escorted him out of the room.

"Rocco, Ernie, what are you guys doing?!" Herby said in despair as they hustled him down a hallway and out the side door. "Whatever happened to the loyalty of the good old days, guys?"

"It's the dawn of a new day, Herby," Rocco said, as he and Ernie shoved him out the door and into the street. "And you're not a part of it."

He slammed the door shut before Herby could say another word.

"You ask me, I'm glad he's out of the picture," Ernie said, as they walked back to the conference room. "He always was a big butt-kisser of Thorne's, anyway. Good riddance to him!"

"Has Herby been shown the door?" Nygma asked when Rocco and Ernie returned.

"For good, Mr. Nygma," Rocco assured him. Then he smiled as something occurred to him. "Hey, maybe we ought to start calling you Boss Nygma from now on, huh?"  
"Actually, I'd prefer it if you didn't," Nygma said. "After the job is done, it won't matter, but I'd rather maintain my privacy in the meantime."

"So what should we call you, then?" Ernie asked. "Y'know, in front of the troops, and all that?"

Nygma grew thoughtful for a moment--until a smile slowly creased his face. "Call me the Riddler."

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Collision

_A/N: My thanks once again to Andrea and Rebelbyrdie, for their feedback and kind words. _

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Seven**

**"Collision"**

At first she didn't know why, but Olivia felt compelled to drive out to Wayne Manor right after her meeting with Elliot. She should have went straight home, to the apartment that she'd shared with Alex these past few months--but it just didn't feel right. It was when she was halfway to Bruce's home that it hit Olivia: she still felt uneasy with the choice she had made, and she needed to speak to Bruce about it, to use him as a sounding board. It was still light out; he should still be home. But just to be on the safe side, Olivia had called ahead and made sure.

When she arrived at Wayne Manor, Alfred was waiting for her in the doorway.

"Hello, Olivia," Alfred said pleasantly.

"Hey, Alfred," Olivia replied.

"Is everything all right?" Alfred asked with concern, as they entered the manor. "You look troubled."

"Uh, I just need to speak with Bruce about something."

Alfred nodded. "You'll find him downstairs, in his workspace."

"Thanks." Olivia smiled as she stepped through the secret doorway that Alfred opened for her. 'Workspace is a pretty innocuous term for the Batcave,' she thought.

She walked down the narrow hallway, which led to a small cliff balcony that overlooked the Batcave. Olivia took a moment by the railing to gaze out on the majesty of Batman's private sanctuary. The Batmobile sat on its circular platform, looking like a sleek black panther at rest. Next to it, on a separate platform, was the Tumbler, which was an earlier, larger vehicle that Bruce used when he first started out as the Batman a few years ago. Olivia glanced up as a group of bats flew into the shadows above her.

'I never get tired of this place,' Olivia thought with awe. 'No matter how many times I come down here.'

At first she thought Batman was standing in the center platform of the Batcave--until Olivia realized that what she saw was merely the empty Batsuit, which had been propped up on a mannequin. Bruce, still casually clad in jeans and a t-shirt, sat at a work table, sharpening one of his Batarangs on a spinning stone wheel.

Olivia took the elevator down to the main level of the Batcave and walked up to the Batsuit. Even empty, the suit had a regal quality as it stood in the shadows, faintly lit only by halogen lights from above. It reminded Olivia of a knight's suit of armor that was on display in a castle--which only made sense, especially since Batman was also known these days as the Dark Knight.

"Hey," Bruce called from the workstation. "Alfred said you'd be by."

"Hope I'm not interrupting," she said.

Bruce shook his head. "Never. I always have time for you, Liv."

"What are you doing? Some maintenance on the suit?"

"More than that," he replied. "I've made a few adjustments to it, just in case I should meet our flying guests from Metropolis. It's been toughened up, with a few special modifications that should give me an edge in a battle."

"A battle?!" Olivia said, stunned. "But I thought Superman was supposed to be one of the good guys!"

"From what I've seen of him on the news today, Superman is one of the good guys," Bruce replied. "Yet the question of the hour is, does he know that Batman's also one of the good guys, as well?"

"Well, of course," Olivia said, "why wouldn't he?"

"Thanks to the Gotham City press, many people still think Batman's a blood-sucking vampire," Bruce reminded her. "I've no desire to fight Superman--but, you know the old saying: hope for the best, yet prepare for the worst. And I like to be prepared, Liv."

"It's what makes you so successful," Olivia admitted. 'And the perfect person for me to talk to,' she thought.

"Saw you on the news today, as well," Bruce said, as he placed the newly-sharpened Batarang within the utility belt on the Batsuit. "You were looking pretty heroic yourself there, leading the charge in clearing the streets."

Olivia waved off the compliment. "Just doing my job--which I'll be doing more of in the future, by the way. I've thought about Gordon's offer, to remain as the SVU Commander, and I think I'll take it. I'll be staying on here in Gotham City."

"Really?" Bruce smiled. "That's great, Liv!" His smiled faltered when he noticed her uneasy look. "That _is_ good news, isn't it?"

"I don't know." Olivia shook her head in disgust. "I just saw Elliot, and he gave me the best advice I've heard in ages: to just do whatever that makes me happy. And so, following his advice, I decided to stay on here in Gotham City. But I still have doubts."

"About what?" Bruce asked.

"About me," she replied. "I'm not sure if I'm up to handling the task of running a unit like this on my own. You know, sometimes I envy you, Bruce, I really do. You always know what to do; you know what course to take and follow it without any hesitation. I wish I could be more like that."

Bruce gazed at the floor somberly for a moment before he said, "Have a seat, Liv."

When Olivia sat down next to him, he leaned up against the table with his arms folded and said, "Remember the Catwoman?"

"Yeah, sure--what about her?"

"I let her get away," Bruce said.

"So she got away, big deal," Olivia said. "I've had plenty of perps who got away from me in my police career. You'll get her the next time you meet."

But Bruce began to slowly shake his head. "No, Liv. Catwoman didn't get away. I let her go."

She held her hands up. "Ok, now it sounds like you're being too hard on yourself, Bruce. Like I said, you didn't--"

"You don't understand, Liv," Bruce gently said, interrupting her. "I mean I literally let the Catwoman go. I caught her on the roof of the penthouse, with the loot in her hands, and when she turned to face me…."

He let out a heavy sigh. "She wasn't afraid of me, Liv. There I was, in my full dark knight avenger regalia, and she merely laughed at me. I was caught off guard for a moment, but I got back in the game and apprehended her. We fought for a while on that roof--she's almost as good a fighter as I am. But I finally caught her. And then I hesitated, ever so briefly, and that gave her the chance to make a break for it."

Olivia watched, fascinated, as Bruce stared off into the distance with a haunted look. "I could easily have followed her, but I didn't," he continued. "She left behind her bag of loot. I placed it back within the penthouse, and then waited for her to return for it. But she never did. And I actually felt saddened, because I simply wanted to see her again--not to take her in, but just to talk to her. There was something about Catwoman that touched something within me. It was like I met a kindred spirit, only she was on the wrong side of the tracks."

Bruce glanced at Olivia with half a smile. "The point in telling you this is that I'm not perfect, either, Liv. But regardless of that, we have to keep moving forward. Just be at peace with your decision about remaining here as the SVU commander and tackle the job one day at a time. I have faith in you--and God knows Gordon certainly does. It's time you've started having faith in yourself, as well. Start believing in yourself, Liv, and you can accomplish anything."

Olivia stared at Bruce with even more admiration than she had for him before. If Alfred was the grandfather that she never had, then Olivia considered Bruce Wayne to be the brother whom she never had. "Thank you, Bruce. Hearing those words from you means a lot to me."

After they hugged briefly, Bruce said, "And one more thing, Liv: welcome to Gotham City. It's going to be a much better place with you here full time."

"Oh, if there's ever a single reason that Gotham City's a much better place to live, it's because of you," Olivia told him.

"Batman's part of a team of people who're working to make this city better," Bruce said. "You saw that at the meeting last night. And speaking of Batman, I've got to get ready for patrol this evening. You're welcome to stay, if you wish."

"Thanks, but I'm eager to let Alex know my decision. If I don't see or talk to you later, I'll call tomorrow."

"Ok--and, hey, Liv?"

Olivia paused at the elevator doors and glanced back at him. "Yeah, Bruce?"

"I might have cut Catwoman some slack during our first meeting. But if we ever do meet again, I _am_ taking her down," Bruce said firmly.

Olivia nodded as she gave him a smile. As she entered the elevator, she felt a slight chill at the very notion of going up against the Batman. 'I sure as hell don't envy Catwoman,' she thought. 'If that kitty's smart, she'll move to a new city!'

**B&B**

"Here it is, Mister J," Harley said, as she pointed at the computer screen. "This is the stuff I was talking about."

"Hmmm, interesting," the Joker muttered, as he examined the pictures of the glowing green rocks on the screen. "This is Kryptonite, eh? What do you do with it? Shoot it at Superman?"

"No, all you have to do is just put it in his presence, and he's supposed to just keel over!" Harley replied.

"If only getting rid of the Batman were that easy," the Joker muttered. "But once we get rid of these flying do-gooders from Metropolis, we'll deal with the Batman soon enough." He gestured at the computer. "I don't suppose this tells you where we can get some Kryptonite, does it?"

"Indeed it does!" Harley said with a grin. "It's on display right here in Gotham City, in the Meteorite display at the Science Exhibit."

The Joker's mouth split into a broad grin. "Harley, my girl, what do you say we take a little moonlit tour through the wonders of science?"

"Why, Joker, I thought you'd never ask!" Harley giggled.

**B&B**

'Gotham City is a town that worships masks,' Edward Nygma thought, as he gazed at himself in the mirror. He wore a dark green suit with a matching tie and a black shirt. The bowler hat he wore was also green, as was the mask which covered the upper part of his face. 'Therefore, I should fit right in.'

He turned to Rocco and, making a sweeping gesture with his hands, and said, "What do you think?"

"You look absolutely fetching, Boss," Rocco said, with a chuckle. "Can I ask you something? You got any outstanding warrants? Is that why you're hiding your identity like this?"

"Let's just say that I've never had any great desire for fame," Nygma said. "Is everyone ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," Rocco stated.

"Then let's go shopping for some Kryptonite, shall we?" Nygma said.

**B&B**

'Hail Mary, Mother of God,' Ernie began to pray, but he stopped because he could not recall the rest of the prayer. 'I should have paid more attention when I was a kid in Bible Class!'

Ernie Hoeffel was one half of a duo of security guards who had been assigned the task of watching over the remnants of the blimp docking platform on top of Sheffield's department store. He stood in the guard shack with his friend and night shift partner Buddy Tosco. Buddy was staring out the lone window of the shack with a mixture of fear and revulsion.

"He's still out there?" Ernie asked.

Buddy just shook his head in the affirmative. "See for yourself."

Ernie dared to take a look, and shuddered when he saw the shadowy, monstrous figure that was hunched over the wreckage of the blimp platform just outside the guard shack. "It ain't right," he said in a shaky voice. "He really shouldn't be out there, Buddy!"

"Hey, you want to go out and tell him that, be my guest!" Buddy told him.

The thought of confronting that winged demon from hell scared Ernie so much he merely shook his head and said, "How about we just stay right here and pretend there's nobody outside?"

"Good idea," Buddy said with a nod. "Maybe he'll just go away on his own."

Ernie couldn't help but stare at the monster, as it hunched over a piece of a broken steel beam. "What the hell is it doing out there, anyway?"

**B&B**

'Acid,' Batman thought, as he examined the burn marks on the steel girder under the red flashlight. The red light would barely register under normal vision, but thanks to the night-vision lens built within his mask, the light shone as bright as the sun. 'This was indeed the work of the Joker.'

Switching the red light off, Batman tucked it within his utility belt and stood up. 'The Joker is, if nothing else, an impulsive man,' Batman realized. 'He lives to create chaos--and with Superman and Supergirl having spoiled his fun with the blimp platform, the Joker will be outraged. Knowing him, he'll get right back out and cause more mayhem. But where?'

Batman was startled by what sounded a machine gun rattling off in the distance. He glanced over in the direction of the sound, and saw a multitude of gun fire flashing in the clear dome of the Gotham City Science Exhibit.

"Come here," he said into his left gauntlet. The Batwing appeared by the edge of the building, and Batman climbed inside the cockpit. Assuming manual control, he piloted the Batwing in the direction of the Science Exhibit.

'Strange, of all the places in Gotham City I would expect trouble, the last would be the science exhibit,' Batman thought. 'But there's really no telling where the Joker would strike. Just hope I'm not too late….'

**B&B**

Clark Kent had a bemused smile on his face as he shook slowly his head. 'Serves me right for taking a teenage girl to a mall,' he thought.

Kara stood examining herself in a mirror in the clothing store, holding a top from the rack against her chest. "What do you think, Clark? Should I try it on?"

"Do you like it, Linda?" Clark asked, using her cover name.

"I don't know," Kara said with a frown. "I think the darker top--"

Kara let the top drop to the floor as she abruptly stared at Clark with wide eyes. "You hear that sound, Cuz?"

Clark heard it all too well. After several years on the job, gunfire had become a very distinctive--and alarming--sound for him.

"Sounds like a war is being waged somewhere," Kara said, as she absently retrieved the top and placed it back on the rack.

"No, actually, it's one gun. A large caliber machine gun," Clark told her. He was startled when he heard an answering gunfire. "Now there's the response, several smaller caliber guns--nine millimeter, sounds like Uzis."

"How the hell can you know that?" Kara said in awe. "Just by the sound?"

"Believe me, when you get shot by enough of guns like I have, you pick up on a few things," Clark said grimly. "C'mon, let's see what the commotion is about, shall we?"

"Right with ya, Cuz!"

**B&B**

_Fifteen minutes ago._

"We really appreciate you letting us in like this after hours," Lois said to Mr. Burnham, the curator of the Science Exhibit. "This gives us a chance to get a good look at the exhibits without putting up with the crowds."

"Not at all, Ms. Lane," Burnham replied. He was a jovial man with a balding head and a large belly. 'If his beard were gray, he'd probably pass for Santa Claus,' Jimmy Olsen thought. He snapped off a few pictures of some underwater rigs which were displayed in a massive, wet for dry diorama depicting them under the ocean.

But Jimmy was really looking forward to seeing the outer space exhibit, with its collection of meteorites. He'd heard rumors that the collection contained some strange rocks that glowed green. Jimmy couldn't be sure if it was Kryptonite until he saw it with his own eyes. And if it was, then he would be sure to warn Superman.

'Of course, Superman and Supergirl were probably already back in Metropolis by now, so it might not even be a problem,' Jimmy thought, as he took a shot of some large-scale exploratory spacecraft models that hung from the ceiling--which was painted up to look like the ships were in deep space. The centerpiece of the space exhibit was a massive model of Saturn, complete with its rings. People could enter "Saturn" and take a trip through the solar system.

But Jimmy's attention was drawn to the far North wall, which displayed the meteorites. The glowing green rocks were so bright, they were hard to miss.

"Ok, Mr. Burnham," Lois began to say, "maybe if we got a shot of you with the--WHAT THE HELL?!"

When Jimmy saw what had startled Lois so badly, he couldn't help but flinch in fear himself.

Two people emerged from behind Saturn, a man and a woman who were both dressed in the oddest-looking clothing Jimmy had ever seen. Clad in a purple suit with an overcoat, the man was tall and lean, his face as white as alabaster. The woman was dressed in a red and black outfit with a twin-pointed hat that had a pair of white pom-poms on each end. The pom-poms dangled on either side of the woman's snow-white face.

"Oh, don't let us disturb you," the man told them. "We're just here to steal a few things and then we'll be out of your hair."

Mr. Burnham grabbed a walkie-talkie from his belt and clicked the "speak" button. "Security! The Joker is here!"

'The Joker!' Jimmy thought, stunned, as he instinctively took a few snapshots of the reviled criminal.

The woman pointed at Jimmy and let out a squeal of delight. "Look, Mr. J! A photographer! We'll be famous!"

The Joker flashed a broad grin as he posed for Jimmy. "Make sure you get my best side, sonny!"

"You're just as insane as they say you are," Lois said, as she slowly shook her head.

Joker puffed himself up in mock indignation. "I'll have you know that I happen to represent that remark!"

"Hey Joker!" his companion cried. "That's Lois Lane! She's the one who wrote that article I showed you! Y'know, the one about the Kryptonite!"

"I'm starting to regret ever having written that damn article," Lois muttered to Jimmy.

"Security!" Burnham frantically cried into the walk-talkie. "Security, where are you?!"

"I'm afraid security is indisposed at the moment," another man's voice abruptly said.

All of them glanced in the direction of that voice and saw a man, clad in a green suit with a bowler hat, walking towards them. He wore a green mask, and had a crew of about ten men--all also wearing masks--with him.

"The Joker," Bowler Hat said, "fancy meeting you here."

"And it's rather fancy meeting you, as well," the Joker said. His face then twisted into a frown as he added, "Whoever the hell you are…."

"The Riddler, at your service," Bowler Hat said, by way of introduction.

"I'm Harley Quinn!" Joker's girlfriend said, as she gestured at her colorful outfit with a broad grin. "Get it? Harley Quinn--Harlequin?"

"Yes, how lovely for you," the Riddler dryly replied. "My boys and I are here to retrieve something, as well. Might it be the same thing you're after?"

"The depends, Riddler, old boy," the Joker said. "What are you in the market for?"

"It's as hard as granite, yet falls from the sky like rain. It's not a lamp, yet glows as emerald as a traffic light that says 'go'," the Riddler said. "Can you guess what it is?"

"Riddles? _Riddles_?" the Joker muttered, as he reached for something under his overcoat. "I HATE RIDDLES!"

He pulled an object out with both hands. Jimmy's eyes grew wide when he saw what it was.

An AK-47 machine gun.

"EVERYBODY HIT THE DECK!" one of the Riddler's men shouted as the Joker opened fire on them.

"That's it, Mister J, let 'em have it!" Harley Quinn screamed with joy. "Serves 'em right! Riddles are for pussies, anyway!"

Jimmy stood rooted to the spot, too scared--and oddly fascinated--to move, until somebody knocked him to the floor. He looked up and saw that it was Lois. "Stay down!" she cried over the blaze of gunfire. The Riddler's men had by now returned fire with their own machine guns. "Just stay down until help arrives!"

From his position, which was laying flat on his back on the floor, Jimmy saw a large shadowy shape moving in the air above him. He stared dumbfounded at it, unable to make it out--until he clearly saw two large black wings unfurl from either sides of a body that contained a head with pointed ears.

"Uh, I think help is already here, Ms. Lane," Jimmy said, pointing upwards at the dark, marauding shape, which continued to grow as it came closer to the ground.

"Superman?" Lois asked hopefully, as she glanced up. Then, when she saw who it was, Lois said, in a stunned whisper: _"Oh my god…."_

The Batman landed right on top of one of the Riddler's men, knocking the man down and out cold in a single shot. Batman then threw something at the floor, and Jimmy saw a brilliant flash, which was followed by thick, billowing smoke.

"Damn you and your parlor tricks, Batman!" the Joker screamed, as he continued to fire the AK-47. "You could give a guy asthma with all this smoke!"

Jimmy crawled under a display table, where he huddled down with Lois and Mr. Burnham. He let out a startled yell when he saw Batman easily take down two of the Riddler's armed men in one swooping motion.

'That dude's inhuman!' Jimmy thought.

"Jimmy, what are you doing?!" Lois yelled. "Take some pictures!"

"Oh, right, yeah," Jimmy muttered, as he placed the camera up to his eye. Then he brought it down and shook his head. "Sorry, Ms. Lane, there's too much smoke!"

Lois just rolled her eyes in disgust.

**B&B**

Rocco took cover behind a pillar long enough to reload his Uzi. But just as he was about to go back into the fray, a hand grabbed his arm.

It was the Riddler.

"Forget it, Rocco," he said, sounding disappointed. "We live to fight another day."

Rocco nodded in quick agreement. It was bad enough getting into a gunfight with that wild-eyed mother, the Joker, but now with the Batman having been thrown into the mix this fight had just become a lost cause. He let out a long, low whistle--which was the signal for all of their boys to drop what they were doing and get out right now.

He gave the Riddler cover as they both stepped into the nearest elevator. Just as the doors began to close, Batman appeared out of the swirling smoke. Nygma, knowing full well the Batman would never get to them in time, merely tipped his bowler hat and smiled smugly at the Dark Knight.

Yet Batman tossed a Batdart through the doors just before they closed. The dart hit Nygma's hat, tearing it out of his hand and nailing it to the wall behind them.

"Testy, isn't he?" the Riddler muttered as he pulled his hat loose from the dart.

"He doesn't give up easy," Rocco said, breathing heavily. He examined the Batdart and saw that it was a silver metallic dart shaped in the basic form of a bat. It was just a little piece of metal, but it still gave Rocco chills. "We didn't get the rocks, Riddler. What do we do now?"

"We suffered a temporary set back, thanks in large part to the Joker," the Riddler said, as he poked a finger through the hole in his bowler hat. "Unfortunately, the Science Exhibit isn't the only place that has Kryptonite. Let's pay a visit to Star Labs in Metropolis. Then we'll come back here and deal with Batman and the Glimmer Twins--as well as the Joker. The so-called Clown Prince Of Crime will pay for what he did to me tonight!"

**B&B**

'Who the hell was that?' Batman wondered, as he gazed momentarily at the closed elevator door. He quickly turned his attention back to the Joker, only to see that that grinning maniac was gone, along with his partner, the woman who was similarly dressed as a clown.

As the smoke slowly dissolved, Batman glanced down at the two dead men on the floor, shot by the Joker. He went through their pockets in an effort to find out who they were, or who they might be working for--but the search bore no results.

'They're professional thieves,' he realized. 'They go out on a job with no ID, no way to trace them, in case something went bad. And something definitely went bad tonight. Namely the Joker.'

Batman glanced at the prone forms of the still-living crooks whom he had taken down in the fight before, and he briefly considered working them over for information, but he didn't have a lot of time before this place would be swarming with police.

The evaporating smoke also revealed a trio of people hiding under one of the display tables. It was a black-haired woman, a young man, and Mr. Burnham, the curator of the exhibit. They stood up very warily, as if not sure if Batman would attack them.

"Hello," the woman nervously said. "I'm Lois Lane; I'm a reporter with the Metropolis Daily Planet."

"Good for you," Batman dryly replied.

There was an explosive shattering of glass from above, and Batman glanced up in time to see Superman and Supergirl diving through the skylight.

And they were both bearing down straight at him.

The young man who stood next to Lois Lane suddenly began to wave his hands and shout: "Superman, wait! Don't come in here, the Kryptonite--"

Lois let out a shriek of terror as Superman and Supergirl abruptly froze up in mid-air, as if they were both gripped by painful seizures.

And then Batman watched, stunned, as Superman and Supergirl plummeted to the floor like rocks, where they each lay unmoving, and seemingly dead.

**To Be Continued...**


	8. A Meeting Of Old Friends

A/N: My thanks to Rebelbyrdie, and AnotherChance for their kind remarks about my story. I always appreciate the feedback. Sorry for the delay. But I finally got caught up with stuff in the real world and managed to finish this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

**Batman & Benson 2 **

_Eight_

_"A Meeting Of Old Friends"_

"Damn that flying rodent," the Joker snarled. "Damn him to hell!"

Harley cringed in fear from her lover's venomous rage. They stood in an alley behind the science exhibit, where they had just escaped to after the battle in the interplanetary wing. Although Harley understood the bad blood that existed between the Joker and the Batman, she realized that the fiasco that occurred inside wasn't completely the Dark Knight's fault; the Riddler had been just as much of a stumbling block to them getting the Kryptonite.

Yet Harley wasn't about to disagree with the Joker when he was in one of his murderous moods. "You'll get even with the Batman and the Riddler, Mister J," she told him. "But maybe we should just get out of here, before the cops come."

She never saw the punch coming until it landed on the side of her face, knocking Harley flat to the ground. She recoiled in fear as the Joker loomed over her with the AK-47 still in his hands; she didn't know if it was intentional or not, but the gun was pointed dangerously right at her head.

"I am the Joker, you silly bitch!" he roared at her. "I do not run like a coward--people run from ME!"

With that, he broke into a full run down the alleyway, his mad laughter echoing off the walls. With growing horror, Harley realized that the Joker was intentionally heading towards the sounds of police sirens.

'He's looking for a fight!' she thought.

She wouldn't--couldn't--go with him. Harley had had enough of excitement for one night. 'Besides,' she thought, 'maybe after he gets this out of his system, he'll be in a better mood later. I'll go back to the hideout and wait for him to come home.'

As she got up from the ground, Harley caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of a broken window that leaned up against a wall. The Harlequin who stared back at her gave Harley a start, as a little voice at the back of her mind asked, 'What have you become?'

Shaking her head, Harley retreated in the opposite direction of the alleyway. It'll be better for her to go home and wait for the Joker. She was already looking forward to being in the arms of her lover once more.

**B&B**

"What the hell happened?" Lois cried, as she ran over to Superman and Supergirl, who lay prone on the floor of the Interplanetary Science Exhibit.

Jimmy grabbed her arm and pointed at the far wall. "It's the Kryptonite, Ms. Lane!"

A chill ran up Lois' spine when she saw the familiar glowing green rock on a display shelf. She pointed it out to Mr. Burnham and said, "That's Kryptonite! It's poisonous to Superman and Supergirl! You have to get it out of here!"

But Burnham simply shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that's not possible. You see, we--"

Lois ignored him and ran over to the Kryptonite. When she tried to remove it from the display shelf, she saw that it wouldn't budge. Even when Jimmy came over and helped her, their combined strength still wasn't enough to move the Kryptonite.

"That's what I've tried to tell you," Burnham called to her. "The meteorite is secured to that base with a special resin. You can't remove it without using a special compound."

"Why don't we just carry Superman and Supergirl out of here?" Jimmy suggested.

No sooner did he say that then he, Lois and Mr. Burnham were all startled by a series of loud slamming noises. Lois gazed at the doorways and saw that they were all sealed shut by steel doors that had slid down into place.

"The smoke and gunfire must have set them off," Burnham explained. "They drop down to prevent a fire from spreading to the rest of the building. Just wait a few minutes, and they'll go back up once rescue gets here."

Lois stared at the still forms of Superman and Supergirl and shouted, "We don't HAVE a few minutes!"

She removed both of her shoes and started whacking the heels on the Kryptonite in a frantic attempt to jar the meteor loose.

'This is all my fault,' Lois thought in despair. When her interview with Superman was first published in the Daily Planet, Lois was originally proud of her accomplishment, believing that she had helped the city to better understand its newest, super-powered resident. Yet, thanks to that same article, every nut job on the loose had tried to get his paws on Kryptonite. And even super villains like Luthor and Brainiac began to line the walls of their hideouts with lead in an effort to block Superman's X-ray vision. Lois had since regretted ever writing that interview, and now felt just as guilty as those who used the information in the interview against Superman.

"Uh, Ms. Lane?" Jimmy said in a nervous tone of voice.

"Not now, Jimmy!" Lois did a double take when she noticed that the heels on both of her shoes had broken off. "Oh, wonderful… Ok, we need a crowbar, or some kind of a--"

"MS. LANE!" Jimmy cried. His eyes were wide as he pointed in fear at something.

Lois was startled to see the Batman standing right behind her.

"Move out of the way," he said.

Lois immediately did what she was told, dropping her damaged shoes to the floor in her haste to get out of the Dark Knight's way.

Batman held up a capsule that looked no larger than a vitamin. "You might want to move back a little further," he suggested.

Lois and Jimmy moved back until they stood alongside Burnham.

Batman squeezed the capsule, then threw it at the Kryptonite. Once he did that, the Dark Knight swung around so that he face them and threw his arms up with a sweeping motion. This caused his cape to solidify into a pair of massive wings just as an explosion rocked the exhibit room. Batman's wings melted back into a cape with just the flick of his arms, and once Lois had a clear view, she saw that the explosion had lodged the Kryptonite loose from its display.

"T-That's a very expensive display that you've destroyed!" Burnham said.

"Bill me," Batman curtly replied.

Lois removed the top half of a garbage container and flipped it over, instantly creating a container for Jimmy to put the Kryptonite in as he scooped it up from the floor. The Kryptonite had blown apart in the explosion, but the fragments were still pretty large enough to spot.

"Once you remove that from their presence, will they be all right?" Batman asked.

"Yes," Lois answered. "They be fine once it's gone. If nothing else, at least neither the Joker or the Riddler got their hands on it."

"The Riddler?" the Batman said. "Was that the gentleman in the green outfit and bowler hat?"

"Yeah," Jimmy replied. "He even spoke in riddles…which got the Joker really ticked off."

Lois held up the garbage container top. "That's the last of the Kryptonite. But where can we put it? Thanks to the blast doors, we still can't leave the room."

Batman held out an arm and said, "Allow me."

When Lois handed him the container lid, the Batman pointed a gadget into the air and shot a rope at the ceiling. Once the rope was secured to the ceiling, Batman hooked the gadget onto his belt, flicked a switch, and was lifted rapidly into the air.

Lois, Jimmy and Mr. Burnham all watched as the Batman effortlessly dove through the broken skylight with the Kryptonite.

No sooner was the Dark Knight gone than Superman and Supergirl began to stir. Jimmy smiled and said, "They're going to be all right, Ms. Lane!"

"Yes, that's great," Lois replied. While she was sincerely pleased to see that Superman and Supergirl would recover, and although she was grateful for the Batman's help, the thought of all that Kryptonite in the hands of the Dark Knight gave Lois pause.

'I hope Olivia Benson's right about him being a good guy,' Lois thought, as she stared up at the darkness beyond the skylight. 'Because, with that much Kryptonite in his possession, Batman could truly be a menace to Superman and Supergirl if he wanted to be.'

**B&B**

"I love you," Olivia said. "Have I told you that already?"

"Yes, several times," Alex replied. Then she broke into a broad smile. "But I never get tired of hearing you say it."

They sat at their favorite table at Romero's, the Italian restaurant located at the very top of the Vanguard Building, one of the tallest in Gotham City. The restaurant's large windows offered spectacular views of the city, especially at night, when the town was lit up like a Christmas tree.

Olivia had hoped to give Alex a major surprise when she announced she was taking the Inspector job on a permanent basis--and she did; yet Alex had her own surprise in store for Olivia when she said she was accepting an ADA position with the Gotham City District Attorney's Office. Olivia was taken aback, and also was very, very pleased, when Alex gave her the details of Rachel Dawes' offer that afternoon. They decided that they had to celebrate this new change in both of their lives by heading out for dinner at Romero's.

Caesar, the owner of Romero's, was so happy to hear that Olivia would be staying in Gotham City that he served them a special desert which he called Gangbusters. It was chocolate moose served with a spicy cinnamon topping and whipped cream. After taking a bite of it, Olivia was sorely tempted to threaten Caesar with arrest if he didn't share the recipe with her.

Olivia frowned when her cell phone rang. When she saw it was Linda who was calling, she answered the call, bracing herself for some bad news.

"Inspector Benson!" Linda said, sounding frantic. "Oh boy! You're not gonna believe this one!"

"Easy, Linda, just take it easy," Olivia told her assistant. "Calm down and tell me what the problem is."

"Well, uh, I guess you could say we found Dr. Harley Quinn," Linda said.

"Really?!" Olivia replied, startled. "Where is she? Is she all right?"

When Linda explained everything, Olivia's heart sunk. "All right, I'll be right over," she said, unable to mask the sadness in her voice.

"What is it?" Alex asked, squeezing her hand. "What's wrong?"

"We've found Harley Quinn," Olivia said, as she began to gather her belongings. "She's been seen with the Joker earlier at the Science Exhibit."

"Is she all right?"

"More than that, Alex; she was dressed up in some type of clown outfit," Olivia said. "She was actually helping the Joker under the name of Harlequin--a little play on her own name. She and the Joker tangled with Batman and somebody named the Riddler before they both escaped."

"Oh my God," Alex said in a shocked whisper. "It sounds like the poor woman's suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. She fell in love with her captor."

"Or she was working with the Joker all along," Olivia said. "She helped him to escape from Arkham Asylum. That would explain a lot of things."

"But what about the rape kit?" Alex asked. "It showed that the Joker assaulted her."

"The rape kit showed that she had sex with the Joker," Olivia replied, getting up from the table. "We don't know for sure whether it was consensual sex or not. I'm willing to bet that it was consensual."

"You don't know that unless you can check out the scene," Alex said.

"Then let's do that."

Alex gave her a double take. "'Let's do that?'" she repeated. "You mean the both of us go to the crime scene?"

Olivia nodded. "Why not? Since this looks like it'll be the first major case you'll prosecute for the Gotham City SVU, you might as well get a head start. So come with me."

Alex gave Olivia one of the most beautiful smiles that she had ever seen. "It's been ages since I've worked a crime scene as an ADA!" Alex said, as she excitedly collected her belongings. "Oh, God…thanks, Liv!"

"Yeah, well, since you're a rookie ADA, let me give you some advice," Olivia said, as they both walked out the restaurant. "Try to restrain your enthusiasm and don't touch anything at the crime scene, ok, kiddo?"

Alex glared at her, and then she just shook her head in disgust. "Oh, you were just waiting to say that to me, weren't you?"

Olivia glanced back at Alex with a broad grin on her face. "Sorry, hon, just couldn't resist!"

**B&B**

'The Riddler,' Batman thought.

He sat in the cockpit of the Batwing as it flew in a slow circle under auto-pilot just over the tops of the buildings in Gotham City. The police scanner was turned on, and a part of his mind listened for any further news of the Joker while he mulled over his recent meeting with this new player in town.

'He calls himself the Riddler and even speaks in riddles,' Batman reflected. 'Could he be connected with the informant who helped bring down Boss Thorne? The unknown man who uses a question mark as his signature?'

Batman recalled the thug who stood next to the Riddler in the elevator. There was something very familiar about him. He switched on the computer and called up the arrest records on all known associates of Rupert Thorne. He went through the arrest records, which had a photo of each criminal, until he came to a picture of the very man he saw on the elevator.

"Rocco Cretonne," Batman read from the screen, "a low level lieutenant in the Boss Thorne gang."

The fact that Rocco was working with this new leader was very bad news. It confirmed Batman's earlier fears that the informant was simply shoving Boss Thorne to the side so that he could take over the gang. And Batman believed that that informant--formally known as the Question Mark Man--is, without a doubt, the Riddler.

'I've got to contact Gordon and Dent and have them take another, closer, look at the evidence,' Batman thought. 'The Riddler may have set up Boss Thorne to take the fall just so he could take over Thorne's gang.'

The police scanner began to beep loudly just then. "All units, all units, be on the alert," a woman's voice said. "The Joker has been spotted at the Showcase Square Mall."

'Predictable as ever, aren't you, Joker?' Batman mused, as he grabbed the controls--which disengaged the auto-pilot--and steered the Batwing over to the mall. 'You've been denied your fun twice today, and you just can't go home unless you inflict some damage. Well, you want to see some real damage, you crazy SOB? Just wait until I get my hands on you.'

**B&B**

When Alfred opened the door, he had a broad smile. "Good evening Rachel. It's been a long time."

Rachel Dawes entered the foyer with an uneasy look on her face. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

Alfred gave her a puzzled look. "Too late for what?"

"Bruce is already…he's gone, isn't he, Alfred?" Rachel asked, sounding distraught.

"Master Bruce has stepped out for the evening," Alfred confirmed. "Is everything all right, Rachel?"

"Everything's fine, Alfred. I-I just wanted to talk to Bruce," she said, her voice fading. "It seems so silly now, anyway."

"What does?"

Rachel shook her head, as if reluctant to share her problem with Alfred. But then she thought the better of it and said, "Oh, I've heard some rumor that Batman was personally protecting Alex Cabot, like he was her private bodyguard, and I just wanted to check with Bruce--for my own personal curiosity, mind you--to see if that was true. Like I said, i-it's very silly."

Alfred gazed at Rachel with the fatherly affection of a man who has known a woman since she was a little girl. Rachel grew up on the estate with master Bruce when her mother was in the employ of the Wayne family, and he considered her to be family. And for a while there, she and Master Bruce appeared to be becoming far more closer than just friends--until they abruptly ended their relationship before it even began. And now, here Rachel was, suddenly showing up right out of the blue asking to see Bruce with a pretty flimsy excuse.

'Interesting,' Alfred thought. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd swear she still cared deeply for Master Bruce.'

Still, she asked a question regarding Batman, and Alfred didn't feel comfortable discussing Master Bruce's nocturnal affairs without his knowledge or consent. "You are more than welcome to wait here for Master Bruce, Rachel."

She thoughtfully bit her lower lip. "He might be out all night."

"He's been known to return early," Alfred said helpfully.

Their attention had been caught by the TV, which Alfred had left on while he worked in the kitchen. "That's right Ted," the female reporter said, "we have reports of a major battle being fought by Batman and the Joker even as we speak at the Showcase Square Mall in Gotham City. We'll give you more details on this developing story as we get them…."

"Then again," Alfred added, with a weary sigh, "it appears Master Bruce may be working late tonight after all."

"The Joker!" Rachel said, with a look of horror on her face. "Bruce is fighting with that animal this very minute! Thanks, Alfred. I'll talk to you later."

"Rachel, wait!" Alfred called after her. But it was too late, Rachel was already gone, having ran out the door as fast as she could.

'She truly still cares deeply for him,' Alfred realized, as he watched Rachel start up her car and screech down the driveway of Wayne Manor. 'So much so that she's now racing to be by Master Bruce's side, to be of help however she can.'

As Alfred walked back inside, he listened to the lurid details being given of the ongoing battle between the Batman and the Joker and whispered, "Be safe, Master Bruce. Please be safe."

**B&B**

_Ten Minutes Earlier_

Elliot stood in the Showcase Square food court, holding a tray filled with his dinner, Chinese food, as he gazed around for a good table. Yet, instead of a table, he found himself staring at a woman who stood across the court from him. Dressed in jeans with a jacket, she had dirty blond hair that was pulled back from her face, and she stared back at him very intently. She looked very familiar.

'No,' Elliot thought. 'It can't be her.'

He began to approach the woman, just as she started taking a few tentative steps towards him. And in those moments as they got closer, Elliot realized that the woman was indeed familiar after all.

"Hi," Dani Beck said, with a glance down at the food on his tray. "You actually gonna eat that?"

"Why?" Elliot said with a smile. "You want it?"

Dani shook her head with a disapproving frown. "Don't you know New York has the best Chinese food? I don't know why you would even bother trying this stuff."

"Funny, I always thought China had the best Chinese food," Elliot said, grinning. "Did you come all the way down here just to criticize my choice in dinner?"

"No, I came down because I changed my mind about attending the police convention," Dani said, somewhat defensively. "What's it to you?"

"So you weren't looking for me?" Elliot asked.

"Of course not," Dani replied. "Don't flatter yourself, Stabler. I just happened to run into you, that's all."

"Hey Dani!" Fin called to her from a balcony above them. "I see you found him, huh? Your partner was looking all over the place for you, Elliot."

"Uh, yeah, thanks, Fin," Dani sheepishly called back. Her face was beet red with embarrassment.

"You joining us for dinner?" Elliot called to Fin.

"Nah, I gotta go keep Munch out of trouble, as usual," he said jokingly. "See you later."

When he glanced back at Dani, Elliot couldn't help but break into a broad smile. "What were you saying about not looking for me?"

Dani had a half smile on her face as she slowly took the tray of food from his hands and placed it down on the nearest empty table. "So I missed you, Elliot," she admitted. "Sue me."

She and Elliot then tightly embraced and kissed each other passionately.

**B&B**

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Jordan said, as she gestured at the kissing couple before them in the food court. "That's what we should be doing, soon."

As she sipped her soda, Temperance Brennan gave Jordan Cavanaugh a wide-eyed stare, as if to say, 'are you crazy?!'

Jordan quickly shook her head, frantically waving her hand. "No, no…I don't mean we should be doing that to each other! No, I mean we should find dates tonight, and y'know, kick up our heels, so to speak."

"Oh," Temperance replied with relief. Although she liked Jordan, and admired her free spirit--they just met at a coroner's conference earlier today, and had become fast friends--Temperance was having some trouble working up the enthusiasm to try some of the off the wall things that Jordan kept suggesting that they do.

"I thought you were with Woody," Temperance said.

Jordan momentarily appeared annoyed. "Uh, not really. We're just friends…if even that."

'Strange, she seemed to be more than friends with him when I saw them arguing in the hotel lobby earlier today,' Temperance thought. But then again, maybe she had just misread the situation. Temperance always felt so uneasy around new people, anyway. She scanned the crowds for Seeley, hoping he would come rescue her. He was better able to handle these social situations. Where the hell was he? Knowing him, Seeley probably bumped into a few of his FBI buddies around here. Temperance's hopes raised when she saw Jordan abruptly start waving at somebody.

"Garret!" Jordan called. "Over here!"

Her hopes were dashed when Temperance saw that the man whom Jordan had been waving to was somebody else entirely. He was a balding, yet handsome gentleman in his forties.

"Garret, this is Temperance Brennan, who works out of the Washington D.C. medical examiner's office," Jordan introduced them. "Temperance, this is my colleague in Boston, Garret Macy."

After exchanging pleasantries, Garret sat down at their table. "So, ladies, got anything planned now that the coroner conferences are over?" he asked.

"Yep, I'm going to show Temperance here how to have a night out on the town in Gotham City," Jordan said with a smile. "Where's Bug?"

'Who--or what--is Bug?' Temperance wondered. She thought it best to leave that question unspoken for now.

"With Nigel. They're also out for a night on the town, apparently." Garret gave Jordan a doubtful look. "You sure you should be doing the same? Remember what happened when you were in Baltimore?"

"Oh, come on!" Jordan said, looking annoyed. "That was just a big mistake, that's all!"

Temperance couldn't hold her curiosity any longer. "What happened in Baltimore?" she asked.

Garret glanced at Jordan with a sly smile. "You want to tell her, or shall I?"

"I was arrested for lewd behavior, but it was dismissed," Jordan quickly said, with a wave of her hand.

"She was naked in public," Garret told Temperance.

"I was only half naked in a hotel hallway," Jordan said to Temperance. "I had on a bath towel; everything was covered."

"Just barely," Garret commented with a roll of his eyes.

"I was in the hotel sauna, chasing somebody whom I thought was a suspect in a case I was working on at the time," Jordan explained to Temperance. "It turned out to be a false lead, and…well, I sort of wound up in the hotel lobby wearing nothing but a bath towel. I would have snuck back to my room, if only that anal hotel security guard didn't grab me and call the cops!"

"You probably made his night," Garret said with a chuckle. "That's why I'm simply saying that maybe you should just stay here for the evening. It's a nice, safe mall, Jordan; nothing bad will to happen to you here."

Once he said that, the glass roof above them abruptly exploded into a million shards of glass that fell to the ground.

**B&B**

The Joker blasted a hole in the glass roof of the Showcase Square with his AK-47 and dove down until he landed on top of the massive water fountain below. The man-made fountain was formed in the shape of a natural waterfall with a pool below where people tossed coins into for good luck. The shards of glass from the shattered roof now rained into that pool.

The Joker reveled in the astonished faces that stared back at him as he held up his AK-47 and said, "Attention, shoppers! Wholesale death and destruction is coming your way! No waiting! Just step right on up into the bullets!"

He burst into uproarious laughter as he brought the gun to bear on the helpless people before him.

Yet the Joker's laughter was cut off by a sharp belt to the side of his face--the force of which knocked him to the water-covered ground. Before he knew it, the AK-47 fell from his hand and went over the waterfall.

When he Joker glanced up to see what had struck him, he saw the Batman standing before him.

"Hi," the Dark Knight said. "You want to play? Let's play."

"You sure know how to spoil a good massacre, Bats," the Joker muttered, as he grabbed a rock from under the water and threw it right at Batman's face.

Batman easily dodged the rock, but the split-second gave the Joker the time he needed to get on his feet and dive off the waterfall. He was halfway down, heading head-first straight into the pool, when the Joker abruptly grabbed a festive ribbon that had been strung in the air. Unable to hold his weight, the ribbon gave out at one end, causing the Joker to swing over the waterfall much like a demented Tarzan.

**B&B**

"Sweet Jesus," Elliot said. He watched the purple-clad madman as he swung through the air and crashed into an empty table in the Food Court. Then he saw an even more amazing sight as the Batman dove over the side of the waterfall, his cape solidifying into a pair of wings, causing him to land gracefully right behind the Joker. This was Elliot's first real sighting of the Dark Knight, and it he was every bit as impressive as Olivia made him out to be.

"Good God," Dani muttered in shock, as she frantically reached for her gun.

Elliot, grabbing her arm, stopped her. "I don't think it's a wise idea to get in-between the Batman and his prey."

Dani gave him an incredulous look. "You mean they just let these maniacs run rampant here?"

Elliot just shrugged. "Welcome to Gotham City, babe."

**B&B**

'Oh Jeez,' Fin thought, as he frantically entered the book store, looking for his friend and partner John Munch. Munch had told him he would be at the Gotham Bookworm, but he never said where he would be in the store. And the Gotham Bookworm was a massive place, with several floors of books. Fin stared at the crowded isles in a panic, until he remembered that this book store had a special section containing conspiracy books.

Sure enough, when Fin went to the conspiracy books isle, there was Munch, leafing through a book detailing the plot to kill JFK by a conspiracy involving Castro, the aluminum siding industry, and aliens from Andromeda.

"Hey Fin," Munch said. He held the book up with a shake of his head and added, "They got it all wrong; Castro was never involved in the assassination of JFK."

Fin snatched the book from Munch's hand and placed it back on the shelf. "Never mind that. You got your camera handy?"

"Sure," Munch held up the camera case. "Right here. Why?"

"Because Batman's outside in the Showcase Square mall, and he's battling some purple-clad freak in the Food Court right now," Fin told him.

"No, don't joke with me," Munch said angrily.

Fin grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Munch, I swear to you, I'm telling the truth. So if you ever wanted a picture of the Batman, now's the time!"

Munch looked so stunned, his eyes were wide behind his trademarked shades. "Let's go!"

**B&B**

Batman almost had him; he almost had a grip on the Joker--just as the damned clown arose from the shattered table set that he had crashed into in the food court. But the Joker had always been inexplicably fast, with a strength that Batman thought was unnatural. The Joker rose up and slipped away from Batman's grip with cheetah speed, laughing hysterically all the while.

Before Batman could even move free of the table set, the Joker had jumped onto a brick railing, where he somersaulted onto a balcony that was just above. Batman's eyes grew fearfully wide behind his cowl when he saw there were people up there; two women and a man who were seated at a table. When the Joker appeared, they all got up in a panic, allowing the Joker to easily grab one of the women.

Batman was right behind the Joker all the way--but it still wasn't fast enough, for just as he jumped onto the balcony railing, the Joker held the woman up in front of him and pointed a gun to her head. It appeared to be a toy--one of those plastic guns that was painted a bright neon red in color. But Batman knew the Joker too well to never underestimate him.

"Temperance!" the other woman cried, as she tried desperately to reach out for the hostage.

"Jordan, no!" the man said, as he grabbed Jordan from behind and held her in place. "Stay back, just stay back!"

Batman gazed at the hostage, whom her friend called Temperance. She was a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair and dazzling blue eyes. Her eyes were wide and showed sheer terror, yet she smartly kept quiet and calm. Beside her face was the Joker's, whose alabaster visage was pulled taunt by the leering grin he gave Batman. His eyes were yellowed and crazed beyond any measure of sanity.

"Yes, all of you should stay back," the Joker warned, as he backed up with the woman in his grip. "You wouldn't want me to blow this pretty little thing's brains all over the place, would you? But, given the number of crime scene techies that must be here, they might well enjoy that."

"I'm surprised at you, Joker," Batman said. "Surely, grabbing a hostage is beneath the talents of the Clown Prince Of Crime."

"When dealing with you, Batman, I'm forced to use all the tricks of the trade," Joker said, as he and the woman backed up into an elevator alcove. "And don't call me Shirley."

Two men approached them. One of them, a tall thin man wearing sunglasses, put down a camera case and dug out his gun, which he pointed at the Joker. His friend, an African-American man, quickly did the same.

"Forget the picture," the man with the sunglasses said, "we've got a hostage situation here!"

"You're about to have a headless hostage situation if you don't back off," the Joker told them.

"Wait a minute," the African-American man said with a frown. "Is that even a real gun?"

"Shall we find out the hard way?" the Joker asked, as he jammed the gun right into the woman's face.

Temperance, who had kept her cool up to this point, became understandably panicked. "No!" she cried. "Please stay away!"

"Trust me, officer, it's real," Batman told the cop. "Please keep your distance."

"Good boy, Bats," Joker said, as he backed up with his hostage into the first elevator that opened its doors. "You want this pretty lady? Don't worry, I'll be sending her back down to you very shortly."

Batman waited until the elevator doors slid shut, then he took off down the hall. When he reached the food court, he fired a grappling line at the ceiling, hooked himself up, and then shot upwards into the air. He faintly heard somebody--most likely a cop--ordering him to freeze. Batman ignored him.

'He's headed for the roof,' Batman thought, as he released himself from the line once he grabbed hold of a support beam. 'The Joker loves melodrama; he wouldn't settle for pushing her off anything other than the roof itself.'

He climbed through the hole in the roof that the Joker had blown out before. Once on top of the mall, Batman saw the Joker leading the woman over to the edge of the structure. They were a good twenty feet away from him.

Yet even as Batman raced towards them, the Joker, apparently sensing he was in the area, abruptly gave the woman a shove towards the ledge as he ducked behind an air conditioning unit.

Batman saw that the woman hands were bound behind her back, and that she was also blindfolded. She stood dangerously close to the ledge, and another step in the wrong direction could end her life.

Temperance let out a shout of fear when Batman grabbed her arm. He pulled down her blindfold and said, "Easy. You're going to be all right."

She stared up at something behind Batman and let out a scream of terror.

Batman whirled around in time to see the Joker standing on top of the air conditioning unit, aiming the gun right at them. Batman grabbed the woman in an effort to get her clear--

--just when he felt a sledgehammer hit him in the chest. The Joker had shot him point blank, and the bullet felt like a .44 Magnum. The force of the bullet knocked the Dark Knight and Temperance clear over the ledge.

And as he and Temperance began to fall head-first some fifty stories to their impending deaths, Batman could hear the Joker's wild laughter echoing off the walls of the surrounding buildings.

**To Be Continued...**


	9. Revelations & Confrontations

_A/N: My thanks to Rebelbyrdie and Shakeahand, as always, for their supportive reviews. And hang in there, Andrea! _

_Since I may not be posting again under after the New Year, let me take this time to wish everybody a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. May you enjoy the new chapter. _

**Batman & Benson 2**

_Nine_

_"Revelations and Confrontations"_

_Five Minutes Ago_

"Inspector Benson, Special Victims Unit," Olivia said, holding up her badge to the officer in charge. She gestured to Alex and added, "This is Alexandra Cabot, Gotham City District Attorney's Office."

"Lieutenant Tommy Sardino, Emergency Rescue Squad," the uniformed officer replied with a nod. "May I ask what's the SVU's interest is in this incident, Inspector?"

"One of the people involved, Dr. Harley Quinn, is a rape victim in a case we're working on," Olivia told him.

Sardino gave her a wide-eyed look. "You know she was working with the Joker? There's footage of her on the surveillance cameras wearing a crazy costume."

"Yeah, so I'm told," Olivia muttered. She had sent Linda to secure a copy of the footage so they could watch it later. She glanced in annoyance at the blast doors, which hindered entrance to the Interplanetary Exhibit. "Anybody know how to open this thing?"

"My people are working on it, now," Sardino assured her.

Almost as if on cue, the blast doors let out a groan as they slowly slid open. Olivia and Alex entered with Sardino and his ERS team. Olivia hoped everybody inside was all right, because from what she'd heard, this had been a major brawl.

Olivia did a double take when she bumped into Sardino, who stood in front of her, staring at something with his mouth gaping open like a little kid at the circus. Olivia turned to Alex and saw that she, too, stood with a stunned expression on her face.

Olivia glanced over and saw Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Dr. Burnham…and then her jaw dropped in astonishment just like the others when she saw who Lois was speaking to.

It was Superman and Supergirl.

'Holy crap,' Olivia thought. It was just a few hours ago when she witnessed Superman and Supergirl in action, saving the lives of the people on the blimp platform, and now here they were, standing right before her. Olivia was never the type to be overwhelmed at meeting a celebrity, yet seeing Superman and Supergirl up close like this was almost awe-inspiring.

"Oh, there she is," Lois said, when she noticed Olivia. "Hello, Inspector Benson, we were just talking about you."

'They were talking about me?' Olivia thought in amazement, as she stepped forward. 'Superman and Supergirl were talking about me?!'

"Batman took the Kryptonite," Lois said. "And I was just wondering what he was planning on doing with it. Where did he take it?"

"It's all right, Lois," Superman said. "Inspector Benson has just arrived on the scene. It's not fair to hammer her with questions like this."

Olivia was surprised at how calm and gentle Superman appeared. Both he and Supergirl had a marvelous sense of self-confidence--yet there wasn't the hint of arrogance in them; instead they both possessed a strong sense of kindness and warmth about them that made it feel so good for Olivia to just be in their presence.

"It's just that Batman has a lot of Kryptonite in his possession," Lois persisted. "And I just wanted to be clear on--"

Lois was cut off by Olivia's police radio. "All units, all units, be on the alert," the female dispatch operator said. "The Joker has been spotted at the Showcase Square Mall."

"Sounds like that crazy bastard's not done for the night," Sardino said with a grimace.

"We have to get going," Olivia told Lois. "But, rest assured, Ms. Lane, that the Batman would never use the Kryptonite for ill-gotten gain."

"You sure about that?" Lois asked, still skeptical.

"You've got my word on it," Olivia solemnly said. "For what's that worth."

"Your word is good enough for me, Inspector Benson," Superman said. He nodded at Supergirl. "And now, if you'll excuse us."

With that, Superman and Supergirl leapt into the air, soared through the shattered skylight and into the night sky.

"Good God!" somebody muttered, as the collective group of police officers all stared up in awe.

'My word is good enough for Superman,' Olivia thought, stunned. She felt the giddiness of a five year old who had just discovered she was Santa's favorite. It took everything Olivia had to keep from running into the streets and shouting, "I met Superman, and he likes me! Woo-hoo!"

When Olivia glanced back at Alex, she mouthed a silent "WOW!" at Olivia. Linda, who stood next to Alex, also looked astonished.

Olivia strode up to them and said, "We need to head over to the Showcase Square Mall. The Joker's been spotted there, and Quinn might be with him."

Linda held up a disc. "I already got a copy of the surveillance footage."

"Great going, Linda!" Olivia said. "This is Alex Cabot, she'll be the ADA who'll be working with us from now on."

Linda gave Olivia a startled look. "You make it sound like you're staying on past this weekend."

"I am," Olivia told her with a smile. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Linda."

Linda broke into a broad grin. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Inspector!"

**B&B**

"We're going to die!" Temperance cried.

'Not if I can help it,' Batman thought.

As they tumbled through the night air, Batman grabbed the woman and pulled her close to him with one arm. With the other arm he aimed a grapple gun at the building, from which they were rapidly falling away from. There wasn't much time to take a good aim, so Batman fired blind. Batman watched as the grapple cable shot out in a swirling line, and then it finally grew taunt.

Batman let out a grunt as their fall was instantly stopped--his arm felt like it was almost ripped out of its socket, but he held on firmly to the grapple gun.

"Are you all right?" he asked Temperance.

She was pressed up against him with her head resting on his chest. "Yeah, I'm ok," she replied, her voice shaky. "But you're not. You've been shot."

Batman glanced down at the .44 Magnum bullet that was lodged in the breast plate of his Batsuit. The bullet actually cracked the bat emblem in two, yet the armored suit still protected him from any serious injury.

"Believe me, it looks worse than it actually is," he told her. He glanced up at the building. They were presently hanging from the ledge, with about a several story fall below them. Normally Batman would just turn his cape into wings and fly away, but that was hard to do with Temperance with him. In order to lift them up, the grappler gun needed to be adjusted for their combined weight--yet since he was holding onto the gun with on hand, and holding onto Temperance (whose own hands were still tied behind her) with the other, there was no way Batman could adjust the gun. Since they were simply hanging there, he would have to create some momentum.

"Listen to me," Batman said. "I'm going to get us out of this. Just stay calm and trust me."

Temperance looked right at him and plaintively said, "I do. For what it's worth, I never believed the stories about you being a monster."

Batman was taken aback, as well as touched, by her sincerity. "Thanks," he muttered. "Ok, hang on, while I--"

"Good evening," a man's voice cheerfully said.

When both Batman and Temperance glanced behind them, they saw Superman floating serenely in the air, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Howdy!" Supergirl said, as she casually flew by sideways. "Need a hand?"

"Well, as long as you're asking," Batman said with a smirk.

Supergirl flew over, cut the bonds on Temperance's wrists, and started to take her from Batman--until she began to protest. Temperance gave Batman a wide-eyed look of fear as she clung to him with her newly-freed arms. "What the hell? She's just a kid!"

"You said you trusted me, Temperance," Batman reminded her. "Well, trust me when I say that you can trust them, too."

Although she still appeared reluctant, Temperance finally nodded and allowed Superman to take her back up to the roof.

Supergirl smiled broadly at Batman as she held out her hands and said, "C'mon, Bats, I'll take you up."

Batman's smile was equally broad as he flicked a switch on the grappler gun with his free hand and shot up to the roof by himself. He heard Supergirl let out an annoyed "HEY!"

Once he reached the edge of the roof, Batman gripped the ledge with both hands and somersaulted onto the roof proper. He found Superman and Temperance standing together, staring at him in shock.

"You all right?" Batman asked Temperance.

"Yes," she replied, with a slight smile. "I'm fine."

"And I see you're feeling better," Batman said to Superman.

"Thanks to you," Superman said, with a nod. He glanced down at Batman's ruined chest plate with a grimace and added, "Hope that's not too serious."

"Just a love tap from the Joker," Batman said grimly. "You wouldn't have seen where he went, did you?"

Superman shook his head, about to reply in the negative, when something caught his attention.

Batman glanced over to his left and saw Supergirl standing there, glaring very intently at him. She let out an outraged gasp and cried, "That's not fair!"

"Kara," Superman said in a warning tone.

Supergirl stabbed an accusing finger at Batman and said, "His mask, it's lined with lead!"

'So the stories of them having X-ray vision are true,' Batman thought. 'Interesting.'

"It's all right, Kara," Superman said. "He's a friend."

"But he's not a very trusting friend, is he?" Supergirl said with an angry aside at Batman.

"You want trust? Fine," Batman said. "Tell me your secret identities, and I'll tell you mine."

Before they could answer, the stairwell door burst open and a man appeared. He drew a gun on all of them and shouted, "FBI! Freeze!"

**B&B**

Olivia watched as a young rookie cop picked up an AK-47 machine gun from the fountain in the center of the Showcase Square Mall food court. The rookie, a young woman who appeared to be fresh out of the academy, had removed her shoes and socks and rolled up her pants legs so that she could wade into the water to retrieve the gun. She did this under a flock of artificial white birds which hung over the fountain. To Olivia, the whole scene looked a little bizarre--like a really weird, abstract piece of performance theater.

But it also looked as if this was a dead end for them. From all the reports that Olivia and her people had received, the Joker was alone when he battled Batman. 'Where's Dr. Quinn?' she wondered. 'Was she safe? Was she truly working with the Joker? Or was he forcing her?'

Alex stood next to Olivia, staring up at the massive hole in the glass ceiling. Then she gazed at the tables and chairs, which lay helter-skelter all over the floor, nodded, and muttered, "Yep, Batman was here, all right."

Olivia couldn't help but chuckle. "Actually, you can't blame him for all this. He was fighting the Joker, after all."

Olivia did a double take when she saw Elliot among the crowds. She was about to wave to him until she saw that he was with a woman. Then Olivia's eyes grew wide once she realized that Elliot had his arm around the woman's shoulders.

"Is that Elliot?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Olivia replied, staring in disbelief at the show of affection he displayed to the woman next to him.

"But that ain't Kathy, is it?"

"Nope, that definitely ain't Kathy," Olivia said. "I think it's Dani Beck, his new partner."

"How do you know?"

"She's got a gun, here," Olivia gestured to her own hip holster. "So either that's Dani, or Elliot's starting hanging out with a gangster moll."

"Wanna go find out?" Alex asked with a smile.

They were interrupted by a call on Olivia's police radio. The dispatch operator directed them to a hostage situation on the roof of the Showcase Square Mall.

"Let's go!" Olivia said. "We can say hi to Elliot later!"

When they reached the roof, Olivia was stunned to see a man was holding a gun right at Batman's face. Superman and Supergirl were there, as well as a small crowd of people. There was a dark haired woman who was pleading with the man holding the gun. As Olivia strode up to them, she heard the woman say, "Seeley, please, it's ok!"

"No, it's not ok, Bones," the man replied. "These maniacs can't just be allowed to run free! The other one got away, but I got him."

"But the Batman saved my life!" the woman protested.

"That's true Agent Booth," Superman said. He gestured at Supergirl and himself. "In fact, Batman has also helped to save our lives tonight, as well."

When Olivia saw Munch and Fin also standing there, she walked up to them. Fin updated her. "The Joker took this woman hostage and brought her up to the roof, and apparently Batman saved her life--but try telling that to this Fed. He's got Batman cold, here."

"Oh, I don't think so," Olivia said, as she gazed at the Batman, who stood very, very still in front of the FBI agent. He appeared to be as coiled as a panther that was waiting for the right moment to strike. Olivia saw the Dark Knight in action against a dozen armed men, and she knew full well that he could take this Fed down within a split second if he wanted to. "Batman's being real patient with him."

"So as long as everybody's being real patient, the stalemate will go on," Munch said. "What do we do?"

"Break the deadlock," Olivia said. She pulled out her badge and strode over to the Batman and the FBI agent. "Excuse me, I'm Inspector Olivia Benson, of the Gotham City Police. Can I be of assistance, Agent?"

"Just keep the area secure," he said absently to her.

"Right, will do," Olivia replied. "I'll start over here."

And with that, Olivia stepped right in-between Batman and the gun.

"What the hell are you doing?" Agent Booth yelled, as he quickly pointed his gun away from her. "Get out of the way!"

Agent Booth re-aimed the gun at the Batman, only now he was no longer there. Olivia smiled when she realized that her stunt worked; she gave the Dark Knight a chance to slip away without having to assault an FBI agent.

She also noted that Superman and Supergirl took flight, as well.

The FBI agent regarded her with suspicion. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? I ought to arrest you for interfering with a Federal Agent! Get on your knees with your hands clasped behind your head! Do it, now!"

This brought on a renewed burst of protest from the woman whom Booth referred to as Bones--not to mention every one else. Fin, Munch and Alex all took a step forward and began to protest loudly as Olivia wearily shook her head. In her police career, Olivia had--at various times--found herself placed under arrest by the U.S. Marshals, the ATF, a local sheriff department and even Park Rangers.

'With the way this evening's going, I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of cranky girl scouts appeared with a warrant for my arrest,' Olivia thought with a heavy sigh.

"Seeley, please, just let it go," Bones pleaded with him. Olivia thought she was too beautiful a woman to deserve a name like 'Bones'. "I'm fine, really!"

That appeared to be the final crack that broke Agent Booth's icy reserve. "Oh God," Agent Booth whispered, as he holstered his gun. "When I saw you and the Batman go flying off the roof, Bones, I thought….Jeez, I don't even want to say what I thought…."

Bones gave him a tight hug just then. "You'll always be my superhero, Seeley."

Olivia tolerantly stood watching this romantic interlude until she cleared her throat and said, "Do you still want me to get down on my knees, Agent Booth, or are we done here?"

He gave her a sheepish look. "Uh, no, that's all right, Inspector. Forget what I said."

"With pleasure," Olivia muttered, as she walked over to Alex, Munch and Fin.

Munch did a double take at the woman who came over and gave Bones a hug. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Jordan," Bones replied. "But forgive me if I cancel on our night out."

"Don't worry about it," Jordan told her with a smile. Her smile faded when she saw Munch was staring intently at her. "Hey, is there something I can do for you, buddy?"

"I know you, don't I?" Munch said. "We've met before in Baltimore."

Jordan abruptly began to stare at him in wide-eyed fear. "Um, I don't think so…"

"Yeah," Munch said, warming up to the subject. "I recall you, now. You were caught running around half naked in a hotel. That's not an easy thing to forget."

"Uh, no…th-that wasn't me. You're mistaken," Jordan replied. Her face was beet red with embarrassment as she quickly grabbed the hand of a man who stood next to her. "C'mon, Garret."

"Once again, Jordan, your reputation precedes you," Garret said with a grin as he and Jordan made a quick exit.

**B&B**

Olivia and Alex were alone in the elevator as they rode back downstairs to the mall level. Alex had been unusually quiet since they got into the elevator.

Just as Olivia began to wonder if something was wrong, Alex suddenly turned to her and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm ok," Olivia answered. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you just went ahead and stepped in front of a gun just now," Alex replied, her tone growing angry. "Which was a pretty stupid thing for you to do, I might add."

"C'mon, Alex, there was never any real danger--"

"Oh, of course, I forgot, you're a superhero!" Alex said, her words dripping with sarcasm. She turned and walked right into Olivia, backing her up against the wall. "But just because you think you're a superhero, doesn't make you bulletproof, Liv!"

'Whoa! She's pissed!' Olivia thought, with her back pressed up against the wall. "Alex, honey, I'm sorry…really, I--"

Alex pulled off her glasses and wiped away tears from her eyes. "You know, there was a time, when I was a captive of the Penguin, that I figured I would never see you again, Liv. And then there you were, appearing to me out of nowhere…just like an angel. And like an angel, you saved me…in more ways than you'll ever know. I've always felt that we were meant to be together, Olivia. But that won't come to pass if you keep risking your life on stupid stunts like that."

Olivia gently squeezed Alex's shoulder as she nodded in understanding. "I thought I was taking an acceptable risk," she said. "But you're right, Alex. It was a stupid thing to do. I'll be much more careful from now on."

"Do you promise?" Alex asked, as she came closer to her.

"Promise," Olivia said, as they embraced tightly. "I promise, sweetie."

The elevator door opened, and Rachel Dawes stepped inside with the urgency of a woman in dire straights. She didn't notice Olivia and Alex at first, and was then startled when she did.

"Hey, Rachel," Olivia said, as she came over to her. "Everything ok?"

"Did you see the Batman here?" Rachel asked in desperation. "I heard he was shot by the Joker. Is he all right?"

Olivia was taken aback by the overwhelming tone of sheer despair in Rachel's voice. "Um, yeah, he's fine. At least as far as we could see."

"The suit should have protected him," Rachel whispered, more to herself than to Olivia. "I shot him with a taser once, and he didn't even feel it. So the suit…the suit should handle a…it should handle a gun…wouldn't it?"

Olivia and Alex were both alarmed when Rachel fell back against the elevator wall and burst into tears.

When the door began to close, Alex stopped them with her arm and said, "Let's get her out of here."

Olivia and Alex escorted the sobbing Rachel out of the elevator and sat her down on a chair in the hallway. Fortunately, they had the place to themselves. Rachel accepted some tissues that Olivia had given her.

"I keep missing him," Rachel cried, wiping her eyes. "Everywhere I go tonight, he's just left--and now I hear he's been shot, and….oh, God, excuse me! I should apoligize for blubbering like an idiot." She gave Alex an awkward look and added, "I'll bet I'm making a real good impression of the Gotham City District Attorney's Office for you, huh, Alex?"

"You've already made a great impression for me," Alex assured her. "So much so, that I'll be in your office tomorrow to formally accept your offer."

Rachel appeared relieved to hear that. "That's great news, Alex! Welcome to the team." She glanced up at Olivia and asked, "Does that mean you're staying, too?"

Olivia nodded, grinning. "We're a combo package, Alex and I; when you get one, you get the other, too."

Rachel burst into laughter at that. Then she put her head into her hands and muttered, "God, I feel so stupid…."

"Are you all right?" Olivia asked, concerned.

Rachel nodded as she stood up. "Yes, thank you. Now I just want to get out of here with what little of my dignity is left. Congratulations to the both of you on your decision to stay. And I'll see you tomorrow at the office, Alex."

"I'll be there around nine, ok?"

"Great, see you then," Rachel said with a parting smile. Then, with her self-confidence back in place, she walked off down the hallway.

Olivia stared after her thoughtfully. "She knows all about him, doesn't she?"

"Of course she does," Alex said. "Rachel cares deeply for someone who puts their life on the line every single day." She gently gripped Olivia's hand in her own. "And believe me, Liv, I know how exactly how she feels."

**B&B**

"Did you see where he went?" Kara asked, as she surveyed the city beneath them. They both stood on top of the highest point of the tallest building in Gotham City.

"No," Kal-El said with a frown. "The Joker appears to have made a clean getaway."

"I was talking about the Batman," Kara said testily.

Kal-El smiled slightly at her. "Batman's on our side, remember? He did help save our lives, Kara."

"I know, I know," Kara said, with an annoyed sigh. "I just wish he wasn't so…creepy."

"There are many methods to fighting crime," Kal-El said. "And Batman's method is very effective." He squinted at something in the distance. "We've got trouble."

Kara saw it, too. A bright light flared up on the far end of town. "Looks like a fire," she said. "You think they might need our help?"

"Let's go find out," Kal-El said, as he took flight into the night sky.

Kara soared up after him, until she heard a cry for help from the street directly below her. "Cuz, we've got a situation down here, too!"

"You can deal with it," Kal-El told her. "I'll handle the fire."

"Got it!" Kara dove down towards the street, where the pleas for help grew louder the closer she got. It sounded like a child.

"Help me!" the little girl screamed. "Somebody please help me!"

Kara landed on the sidewalk and tried to get a bearing on where the girl was. She didn't see her on the street, but she still heard her.

'There, the alleyway!' Kara realized.

She ran into the darkened alleyway and found a girl of about eleven or twelve who was desperately fighting with a grown man.

"Hey, let her go!" Kara called out.

The man, in turning to see who had called to him, released the girl, and she ran past Kara and back onto the street. He smiled as he glanced lustfully up and down at Kara's outfit. "Oh yeah, I think I'll take you instead!"

He took several steps forward and thrust a gun right into Kara's face. "Just come with me quietly, and I won't hurt you, my pretty."

His smug smile was replaced with a horrified expression when Kara snatched the gun from his hand with lightning speed. Then she held it up before him and crushed it in her bare hand.

The man tried to run away from her, but Kara grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up several feet off the ground.

"What's happening?" the man cried, as he looked around him in a panic. "What's going on?!"

"Mister, you just picked on the wrong girl tonight," Kara muttered darkly.

**B&B**

When Kal-El arrived at the fire, he saw that it was an entire apartment building that was ablaze. He made sure there wasn't anybody near the windows, first. Once he was sure of this, Kal-El landed, took a deep breath, and then put the fire out with one strong gust of his exhale.

The assembled fire fighters at the scene let out a round of cheers, and then they began to enter the burnt out building.

Kal-El took notice of a young African-American couple who where huddled together, both were anxiously watching the building. The woman stared at Kal-El and said, "My baby's still in there!"

Kal-El used his X-Ray vision to peer through the walls, until he found a shape cowering in a closet at the far end of the building. He jumped up and flew into the smoldering building through one of the shattered windows. He continued flying through the wrecked apartment until he reached the closet, which was singed by the fire. When he tried the handle, he found that the excessive heat had welded the door shut.

He used both hands to rip the door from the closet, and the shape underneath the blanket on the floor began to stir.

When Kal-El removed the blanket--which had been soaked wet with water--he was stunned at what he saw.

**B&B**

"God damnnest thing I ever saw," the cop said. "And I've been on the force for over twenty years, now."

"Let me guess," Harvey Bullock said, as he and Montoya got out of their car. "You got a little package from the Batman, right?"

"Actually, no," the veteran police officer said. "It's…well, see for yourself."

Harvey exchanged a wary look with Montoya as they entered the alleyway. When Harvey first saw the man hanging from the fire escape, he could understand the cop's confusion, because it looked like the guy was just hanging there by his hands. But a closer look revealed that someone had bent the bars in the fire escape railing around the man's wrists, forming handcuffs, which left him dangling.

When she stared up at the man's face, Montoya shook her head with disgust. "You'll never guess who it is, Harvey: our old friend, Jacob Griswald."

"Griswald?" Harvey muttered. "The child molester? I thought he was in prison!"

"_Was_ in prison," Montoya said. "He got out just a few days ago. He's on parole."

A woman arrived with a young girl in tow. Both appearing very frightened, they were escorted by uniformed officers, The girl nodded her head as she pointed at Griswald, then she fearfully clung to her mother. One of the uniforms called Montoya over.

Harvey walked over to the dangling Griswald and said, "Hey, Griswald, how's it hanging?!"

Most of the uniformed officers at the scene let out low groans at that bad joke.

"Please, just get me down," Griswald said. He had panicky look in his eyes as he stared down at Harvey. "Just get me down, right now, ok?"

"What's the matter, Griswald," Harvey taunted, "afraid of heights?"

"No," Griswald whimpered. "I'm afraid of her…."

"Who?"

"The Divine Angel of God," Griswald whispered, his eyes showing a madness that Harvey hadn't seen before. "She was not happy with me, and thus bestowed upon me the full measure of her wrath. I confess, Detective Bullock, I tried to abduct a young girl tonight. But I was stopped by the Divine Angel of God, who showed me the error of my ways. I'm prepared to go back to jail and pay for my crime."

Montoya came back by Harvey's side and said, "He's right. That little girl and her mother are pressing charges against him for attempted kidnapping. The kid told me that an older girl with blonde hair and wearing a blue and red outfit saved her."

"Supergirl," Harvey said, a smile growing on his face.

"Will somebody please get me down!" Griswald cried hysterically.

"Yeah, yeah, just relax, Griswald," Harvey shouted up at him. "It's gonna take a while to get a welder to cut you loose."

"But she may come back," Griswald said, as he stared fearfully at the night sky. "And the Divine Angel of God might not be as merciful with me the next time she sees me!"

"Well, what do you know," Montoya said, with a shake of her head. "A child predator who's scared to death of a teenage girl. What does that tell you?"

"That there is a God," Harvey said, grinning, "and the big guy's got a helluva sense of humor!"

**B&B**

Kal-El scanned the night skies for Kara, but could not find her. He flew to the street where she said she spotted trouble, and found the police taking a man down from a fire escape. He overheard them chattering about how the man, a convicted child molestor, had been secured to the fire escape by having the metal bent around his wrists.

'Kara was here,' Kal-El realized. 'But where is she now?'

He rose to a thousand feet off the ground, and spotted a lone figure sitting on the roof of Romero's, an Italian restaurant that rested atop the Vangard building.

When Kal-El arrived at the building, stepping down onto the roof in one graceful motion, he saw it was indeed Kara who sat there. She had her knees drawn up to her chest, and her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs.

He hunched down next to her and asked, "Are you all right?"

"Physically, I'm fine," she said, "but--" Unable to go on, she just shook her head dismally.

"I saw the police arresting a man on the other block," Kal-El said. "You dealt with him, didn't you?"

Kara just shook her head in comfirmation.

Kal-El placed his hand on her shoulder. "What happened, Kara? Please tell me."

"That man, he was…he was…" Kara took a deep breath. "He was a monster! He preyed on children, Kal-El. I don't know how you can stand to live here in this filthy planet with its insane, monstrous people!"

Kal-El stood up and held out his hand. "Come with me." When Kara gazed at him with uncertainty, he added, "I want to show you something, Kara. Please, come with me."

He took her back to the fire, which was now out. The building was dark and blackened with soot and smoke damage. The emergency crews were just getting ready to wrap things up. Kal-El pointed at a man who was lying on a stretcher with both of his arms heavily bandaged.

"See that man there?" Kal-El asked. "The one being loaded into the ambulance?"

"Yes," Kara said. "What happened to him?"

"He suffered second degree burns on both of his arms. Do you know how he got those injuries? Because he ran into the fire to rescue a little girl, a toddler, who had accidentally been left behind in the blaze. He managed to find the little girl, but the fire blew around him, blocking his only way out. When I found them, he had placed the girl and himself inside a closet with a wet blanket over them."

"That's amazing," Kara said with genuine awe.

"You know what's even more amazing?" Kal-El asked. "The little girl, and her parents, were total strangers to that man. He didn't know who they were, and yet he still dropped everything to risk his life for them."

Kal-El swung up in front of Kara and gently held her shoulders. "Yes, there is great evil on this planet, and it is despicable, and vile. But never let the evil overwhelm you, Kara. Because there's also great good to be found here, as well. There are some truly decent people who are all working hard to make this a better place to live. And they're the ones who make it all worth it. All of us--you, me, the Batman, as well as the others--are here to protect and help them. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Kara said. She did appear to be back to being her usual, upbeat self once more. "I do. Thanks, Cuz. Just one thing…."

"Yes?"

"You mentioned 'the others' just now," she said. "Who were you referring to?"

"The other super-powered heroes, like us. C'mon, Kara, I'll race you back to the hotel!"

Kara's eyes grew wide as the importance of what he had just said slammed into her like a ton of bricks. "Other super-powered heroes?! You mean there are more on earth like us?! Kal-El, wait!"

"Last one to the hotel's a rotten egg," Kal-El called back with a smile as he shot off into the night sky.

"But these other super-powered heroes," Kara called, as she desperately raced to keep up with him. _"WHO ARE THEY?!"_

**B&B**

"Dear God," Commisioner Gordon muttered, as he stared at the TV screen in horror.

Olivia knew what he meant. The sight of Dr. Harley Quinn dressed up in that garish outfit was startling, to say the least. She sat in the Comminsioner's office, surrounded by the other members of their little "Justice Society"--Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, and District Attorney Harvey Dent--as they watched the surveillance footage from the Interplanetary Exhibit. It was clear that Harley Quinn was working with the Joker. She didn't appear to be coerced, or forced, in any way. And yet watching the woman prancing around in her over the top outfit made Olivia feel sorry for her for some reason.

"This puts a different spin on my case," Olivia said with a heavy sigh. "My victim has just become a suspect."

"She could still argue Stockholm Syndrome," Renee said. "Or that the Joker had somehow brainwashed her."

"She can use whatever defense she likes. I'll tear it apart in court," Harvey Dent said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I mean, look at her: she's had ample opportunity to escape, yet she never does. She's clearly aiding the Joker, and that makes her an accomplice in my book."

"I've walked by the Joker one time in Arkham, and he damn near crawled under my skin," Olivia said. "And that meeting lasted barely a minute! I can't imagine what it must be like to be a captive of that sadistic madman."

Harvey Bullock gave her a frown. "What are ya saying, Benson?"

"That the Joker may have driven Harley Quinn insane," Olivia told him.

"Either that," a voice spoke from the darkness, "or Quinn was insane all along, and had managed to hide it well--until the Joker unleashed her true insanity."

"Wondering when you'd get here, Bats," Bullock muttered to the shadow that strode towards all of them.

"Heard you were shot," Gordon said, looking concerned. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, Jim," Batman said. "Thanks for asking."

'Wonder if he's managed to contact Rachel by now?' Olivia thought. 'Or if he even knows that she's looking for him?'

As tempted as Olivia felt to tell Batman, she decided to stay quiet on the subject for now. Olivia realized that Harvey Dent knew nothing about his prized ADA's relationship with the Dark Knight, and she didn't want to be the one to blab about it to him.

"We were just discussing Dr. Harley Quinn," Olivia told Batman.

"We've got another problem," he said grimly.

"So what else is new?" Bullock grumbled.

Batman handed Gordon a sheet of paper. Gordon looked at it, then he read it aloud: "Rocco Cretonne; a low level lieutenant in the Boss Thorne gang."

"I spotted him with the Riddler," Batman said.

Dent gave him a wide-eyed stare. "The Riddler?"

Batman gestured at the TV. "He's the gentleman in the green outfit and bowler hat whose thugs you see are battling the Joker. I spotted Rocco leaving with him in an elevator."

"Looks like some of Thorne's boys have joined a new team," Gordon said.

"No, Jim," Batman said. "It's more like the Thorne gang has a new leader."

"You're saying this Riddler took over Thorne's outfit once he was out of the way?" Dent asked. "The Riddler didn't waste any time, did he?"

"That's because I believe the Riddler was the one who got rid of Thorne," Batman told him. "Remember the note which led me to the evidence?"

"The Question Mark Guy!" both Olivia and Renee said in unison.

"Exactly," Batman said with a nod. "Both he and the Riddler have a fondness for riddles. It's my belief that they're one and the same. It looks like the Riddler shoved Thorne aside and took control of his gang."

"Yer talking about a gangster version of a coo da…a coo da--uh, whatever," Bullock said.

"You mean a coup d'état," Renee corrected him.

"Yeah, what she said," Bullock muttered, pointing at Montoya--who just rolled her eyes.

"Which is why you need to take another, harder look at that evidence," Batman said to Dent. "It might have been a set up from the start."

Olivia was stunned at the implication. "You're saying Thorne never actually went after Alex? That he was in fact framed by the Riddler?"

"Precisely," Batman said.

"I could never figure out why would a mobster of Thorne's stature be working with the drug lords." Gordon said. "But this frame-up theory answers that question."

"Wait a minute," Dent said with a shake of his head. "My case against Thorne is iron-clad."

"But it might be based on false evidence," Batman pointed out.

"Thorne has assembled a dream-team of lawyers, all of whom are breathing down our necks, watching everything we do," Dent said. "Once word gets back to them that we're not confident in our evidence, our case will go right down the drain."

"You're saying you're not going to check the evidence again?" Gordon asked.

"I'm saying we're moving ahead with the case," Dent replied. "If a problem should come up concerning the evidence, then we'll deal with it. But I'll be damned if I'm going to release Rupert Thorne back out on the streets!"

"I don't want to see Thorne set loose any more than you do," Batman said. "But if he is to be convicted, then it should be as a result of a fair trial."

Dent stood up just then and said, "When I feel the need to tell you how to nab them on the streets, Batman, then you can tell me how to run a case in court. And now if you'll excuse me, I have an early day tomorrow. I've got a press conference in the morning where I'll be announcing the formal prosecution of Rupert Thorne by my office. Good night."

"He's making a mistake," Batman said, after Dent left.

"He's the D.A.," Gordon replied. "If he wants to move ahead with the case, there's not much we can do about it."

Olivia broke the uneasy silence that followed when she said, "One thing we haven't addressed is now that he's got control of the Thorne gang, what exactly is the Riddler up to?"

Batman nodded at the scene on the TV. "The Riddler was after Kryptonite, which is harmful to Superman and Supergirl. So whatever he's up to, it's got to be something very big if he feels the need to keep them out of his hair."

'Oh crud,' Olivia thought with dread.

"You look a bit nervous, Benson," Bullock said, with a slight smile. "Hope this doesn't scare you back to the NYPD."

"On the contrary, Harvey," Olivia said. She glanced at Gordon with a smile of her own. It was time to tell him. "I've decided to stay on and take the job full time."

Jim Gordon gave Olivia such a broad grin that it almost made him look boyish. "That's great news, Olivia! In fact, that's just about the best news I've heard all day."

Renee extended her hand. "Welcome to the force, Olivia!"

"Thanks," Olivia said, shaking her hand. When she glanced up at the Batman, she was startled to see that he had the slightest of smiles on his face.

"It's good to have you in Gotham City full time, Liv," he said.

"Thank you." She wished she could thank him further for the advice that he gave her in the Batcave earlier. But that can wait.

"Well, well," Bullock said thoughtfully. "Looks like I can't call you the NYPD Princess anymore. Guess it'll have to be the GCPD Princess from now on, huh?"

"Why do you have to have a snappy comeback for everything, Harvey?" Renee chided her partner.

"Because I'm such a witty freaking guy," he muttered. "Ain't you notice that by now, Montoya?"

Montoya whispered something in Spanish as she wearily leaned forward and placed her face in her hands.

**B&B**

_The following morning_

Rachel Dawes was barely in her office five minutes before she received a phone call. She threw her coat unceremoniously over the back of her chair and picked up the phone. "Rachel Dawes."

"Hello Rachel." It was Bruce.

The frentic events of last night all came rushing back to her as Rachel slowly sat in her chair. "Hello Bruce," she said, somewhat coldly. She couldn't help but feel very angry--yet she wasn't sure who she was angry at: Bruce, or herself, for acting like such an idiot last night. "What can I do for you?"

There was a pause on the other end as he sensed her coolness. "Alfred told me you stopped by last night."

"Yes. But you weren't there." Rachel frowned, thinking that came out more like an accusation.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

Rachel took a deep, thoughtful breath before responding: "Everything is fine, Bruce."

"I thought there might be something that you needed."

"Um, no, not really--look, I can't talk right now," she said.

"You're busy," he said. "I understand. Talk to you some other time."

"Um, Bruce, wait," she said, just before he could hang up.

"Yes, Rachel?"

She desperately wanted to ask if he were all right, but Rachel didn't want to risk talking about Bruce's alter-ego on an open line. So instead she said, "Did you hear about the Batman? I heard he was shot point blank last night."

"Yes, he was," Bruce confirmed.

"I wonder if he's all right?" Rachel asked.

"I've heard he's fine, Rachel," Bruce gently assured her. "Batman is doing just fine."

Rachel sat back with a relieved sigh. She glanced up when her secretary poked her head into the office. "Ms. Cabot is here," she said.

"Ok, thanks, Claire," Rachel told her secretary. "Listen, Bruce, I've really got to go. Somebody's waiting for me. Not to mention that Harvey's making a formal announcement to the press this morning, and I've got to get ready for that, as well."

"You're prosecuting the Rupert Thorne case?" he asked.

"Yes, how did you--?"

"Recheck the evidence," he told her firmly.

"What?!"

"Trust me, Rachel," Bruce said. "Just recheck the evidence. I'll let you go, now."

He hung up on her without saying another word.

**B&B**

Alex sat in the waiting area, giving the office of the Gotham City District Attorney the once over. She had been here several times before, but now was different. She would be coming here as an employee, and she looked over the offices with a new eye, feeling much like a kid spending her first day at a new school.

Claire walked out and said, "Ms. Dawes will see you now, Ms. Cabot."

"Thanks." Alex smiled as she got up and walked into Rachel's office. Rachel got up from behind her desk, clad in a dark suit with a white, open collar shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a conservative-looking bun. When she smiled at Alex in greeting, all traces of the frantic, hysterical woman whom she and Olivia had encountered last night appeared to be gone.

After chatting over the basic details, Rachel called her boss, Harvey Dent, to see if he could meet with Alex.

"What?" Rachel said, her eyes growing wide with shock. "Right now? But I thought it wasn't for another hour…. Uh, yeah, ok, Harvey. Yeah, I'll bring her."

"Something wrong?" Alex asked.

"We're having a press conference to announce the prosecution of Rupert Thorne," Rachel said, as she hung up the phone. "But I've now just found out that we're having it sooner than I expected. It's out on the front steps of the office. Would you mind meeting with Harvey there?"

"Sure, no problem," Alex said. It was her experience that District Attorneys were the same everywhere. Always busy, they tired to squeeze as many projects into one meeting as possible.

As they rode downstairs together in the elevator Rachel appeared pensive, almost angry, about something. Alex sought to relax her by making some small talk. "I always hated press conferences," she said. "I mean, I did them because I had to. But nailing Rupert Thorne is a pretty big feather in your cap."

"At least some people think so," Rachel murmured to herself in a thoughtful manner. Then she had a pained expression on her face. "Oh, excuse me, Alex, I'm just making a mental check list of the things I have to do, like making sure some evidence gets rechecked."

Alex nodded. "I understand perfectly. Sometimes the job makes you feel like you're going in a hundred different directions at once, doesn't it?"

Rachel burst into a broad smile at that comment. "Indeed it does! You sound like you can't wait to get back to it."

Now it was Alex's turn to smile broadly. "Yeah, I really missed it."

When the elevator let them out in the lobby, they walked outside to the main steps. A small army of reporters had already gathered around the top step, waiting for Harvey Dent. He stood off to the side, making a few last notes for an aide, when Alex and Rachel strode up to him.

"Alex Cabot, meet Harvey Dent, District Attorney of Gotham City," Rachel said by way of introduction. "Harvey, this is Alex Cabot, our new SVU ADA."

"Welcome to the team," Dent said as he pumped Alex's hand. "Today it's a winning team, as we drive the final nail into the coffin of Rupert Thorne."

Alex easily excused his overtly conceited behavior. Dent could be forgiven for acting like the brash conquering hero, because arresting Thorne was truly no small feat. Still, there was something about the man that raised her hackles. Alex wasn't sure what it was, but there appeared to be something ominous bubbling underneath the polished exterior of Harvey Dent.

Dent abruptly leaned in close to her and said, "I hear you have a lot of experience being an SVU prosecutor. You must have plenty of pretty juicy rape stories to tell, eh?"

Alex blinked at him several times, stunned at what he had just said to her. She glanced at Rachel and saw that she, too, stood with a shocked look on her face.

"Harvey," Rachel said, her voice breaking with anger, "what the hell did you just--"

"Mr. Dent," the aide called. "They're ready for you."

"Come, ladies," Dent said with a broad smile. "Let's go meet our adoring public."

**B&B**

Within the audience of press and other interest parties, Herby watched with a simmering rage as District Attorney Harvey Dent stood on the podium, proclaiming the great victory that law enforcement has won by capturing the thug Rupert Thorne.

'Rupert Thorne, a thug!' he thought with growing anger. 'You wanna see a thug, Dent, then take a look in the mirror, you rat bastard!'

"The citizens of Gotham City can rest easy once more," Dent said, "now that Thorne, this scourge of humanity, is finally captured and behind bars where he belongs! And I intend to see that he stays behind bars for the rest of his unnatural life!"

Taking about as much as he could of this garbage, Herby shoved his way through the crowds, his hand reaching into his coat for a bottle.

**B&B**

As the press conference went on in front of her, Alex continued to stand right where she was, still feeling stunned. She had worked for her fair share of DAs who were complete morons, but never had she encountered something like this. 'If that's what he truly thinks of rape victims, then I don't want to work for this man,' she thought.

Rachel came up to her and whispered, "Alex, I'm so sorry. I don't know what's come over him! I've never seen him like this before."

Alex slowly shook her head. "It's not your fault, Rachel. There's no need for you to apologize." She glanced down at the ground, trying to find the right words to say. As much as she liked Rachel, Alex simply could not work for a boar of a man like Harvey Dent. "I'm very sorry, Rachel," she began, "but I just can't--"

"HEY DENT!" a man's voice shouted from the crowd. "THIS IS FOR RUPERT THORNE!"

Alex watched in horror as a man emerged from the crowd and threw something straight at Dent's face. Dent fell back onto the ground, flailing his arms, and screaming in pain.

Rachel flinched as some of what hit Dent splashed on the side of her jacket. To Alex, it looked like harmless water at first. But then her eyes went wide when she saw Rachel's jacket begin to smoke.

"It's acid!" she cried. "Rachel, get your jacket off, you've been hit with acid!"

Rachel frantically stripped off the jacket and let it drop to the ground, where it continued to smoke, the acid eating through the fabric. When the tip of her shoe began to smoke as well, Rachel let out a scared little whimper as she quickly kicked it off. She removed her other shoe for good measure, even though it wasn't smoking.

Alex gazed at the sheer pandemonium that erupted before them. Several police officers tackled Dent's assailant to the ground while a crowd gathered around the strickened District Attorney. Alex shuddered when she saw his face--half of which was a bloodied mess, as was one of his hands. He continued to wail in pain, muttering insane words through his clenched teeth. It was a sight that was seared into Alex's brain, and one she would never forget.

Rachel stood watching her ailing boss being helped as best he could by the crowd that surrounded him. Several people were already on cell phones, calling 911. Then she shook her head and, still in a state of shock, said, "What's happening, Alex? What the hell is happening?"

Alex, not knowing what to tell her, merely drew Rachel close into a comforting hug.

**To be continued...**


	10. Darkness Falls

_A/N: My thanks to Hyades, Andrea, Rebelbyrdie, and oneredneckgoddess for their extremely kind reviews._

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Ten**

**"Darkness Falls"**

'He vexes me,' the Joker thought, 'truly he does.'

The man known as the Clown Prince Of Crime sat on a ledge of his hideout, overlooking the abandoned factories that surrounded him. The Batman was still alive; that was an unpleasant fact which the Joker knew to be true. He could feel it deep within his bones that his mortal enemy still breathed, and still posed a threat to him.

Dawn had come, and yet the Joker still hadn't gone to sleep. The fact that, despite his best efforts, the Batman still lived made him too wired to sleep.

'I'll just have to put him down for good, next time,' he realized. 'And next time, I'll make sure he's dead. But how do you kill something that's proven to be un-killable?'

When the answer came to him, the Joker's ruby red lips split apart in a grotesque grin. "Yes, yes, of course," he whispered. "How do you kill a bat? You set a trap for it."

He began laughing as he quickly got off the ledge and gleefully ran inside to begin the preparations. The Joker never knew that he had been under observation all along.

**B&B**

"Damn it," Kendrick muttered, as he raised his handgun up in frustration. "He's moved out of my line of fire."

"It's just as well," Lenny said. They were hidden behind the ledge of the building adjacent to the one the Joker was on. "You wouldn't have gotten a good shot at this range with that handgun anyway. You'd need a rifle to properly pop that son of a bitch."

"Yeah, well, he's still alive Lenny," Kendrick said angrily. "The bastard killed our friends--he mowed them down like blades of grass--and yet he still lives. That ain't right!"

"Tell me about it," Lenny muttered. They were with the Riddler's crew at the science exhibit last night--only to have their plans dashed when they ran into the Joker. Lenny watched helplessly as his close friends Jimmy, Mikey and Freddie were all gunned down by the Joker. The Riddler, Rocco and the others had made their escape, but Lenny and Kendrick had disobeyed orders and stuck close to the Joker all night.

They were looking for a chance to kill him, but the clown-faced bastard never stood still long enough. And when they spotted him battling the Batman at the Showcase Mall, for once Lenny found himself rooting for the Dark Knight to win. After the Joker made his escape from the mall, Lenny and Kendrick followed him back to this area. They had lost him for a while, not knowing which abandoned factory he'd slipped into--until they spotted him on the roof next door.

An idea occurred to Lenny, and he pulled out his cell phone. When his phone informed him that it's battery was low, he slapped Kendrick's arm and said, "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"And leave this bastard in peace?" Kendrick said.

"Not for long," Lenny said. "Think about it, Kendrick, we know where the Joker hangs up his hat! I'd bet the Riddler would love to have that information, wouldn't he?"

Kendrick smiled at that thought. "Yeah, he would."

"And the Riddler will send us back here with reinforcements, and more powerful weapons, so we can finally hunt that crazy bastard down like the dog he is," Lenny said.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Kendrick said. "Let's go tell the Riddler!"

**B&B**

'Finally done,' Bruce Wayne thought with a sigh.

Clad in jeans and a t-shirt, he was in the Batcave, standing in front of the Batsuit, which he had spent the last few hours repairing. The ruined chest plate had been replaced in favor of a new one, and the suit was replenished with new equipment, including grappler guns and the mini-explosives that he used to free the Kryptonite from the museum exhibit.

'Speaking of the Kryptonite,' Bruce thought, as he glanced over at the glowing green rocks which he placed within a sealed container in the lab. While there was no danger to regular humans from Kryptonite, Bruce didn't want to take any chances. And so he kept it safely sealed for now.

'Maybe I'll add it to the collection,' he thought, as he gazed at the life-sized dinosaur replica and humongous penny that sat off to the side in the Batcave. He had inadvertently begun to build up a collection of various knick-knacks from his cases as the Batman. Perhaps the ruined chest plate could now be added to the bunch. 'It could serve as a perpetual warning for me to always stay vigilant, especially when I'm dealing with the Joker.'

He smiled as he rubbed his hand over the damaged chest plate, which sat on the table. 'It's ironic that I hardened the suit for a possible battle with Superman, and I wind up making it tough enough to withstand a 44 caliber blast from the Joker. And they say there's no good use for paranoia….'

"Master Bruce!" Alfred urgently called from the overhang in the Batcave. "Harvey Dent has been attacked! Turn on the news, sir, right now!"

As Alfred stepped into the elevator to continue his descent into the Batcave proper, Bruce immediately took a seat at the main console, whose plasma screens instantly came to life. A young Japanese-American female reporter appeared on the main screen, standing outside of Angel of Mercy Hospital. "The stricken District Attorney has been brought here, Dan," she was saying. "There's no word on just how serious his injuries are--but from what we're hearing, he was hit in the face with acid, so chances are he may well be in critical condition."

"The Joker," Bruce said, with a sinking feeling. "Damn him!"

"It wasn't the Joker, Master Bruce," Alfred said, as he ran over to the console. "It was a man named Herbert Laughlin."

"Who?!"

Alfred pointed at one of the smaller screens on the console. "I believe they're talking about him right now, sir."

Bruce tapped a key on the keyboard which called up the picture of Laughlin on the main screen. "Now, I understand that Herbert Laughlin has some sort of connection to the mob, is that right, Art?"

The image of a grizzled reporter by the name of Art Tremont appeared. Bruce recognized him as being an expert on the criminal underworld in Gotham City. "That's right, Jay. He's a close friend of Rupert Thorne's. He's sort of Thorne's major domo, if you will. Everybody in the gang calls him Herby."

"And is it safe to say that this attack on the district attorney is the prelude to an all-out war by the mob on Gotham City itself?" Jay wanted to know.

Art shook his head. "No, not really, Jay. From what my sources are saying, this was an isolated event. Laughlin was very close to Thorne, and with him in jail, you could say that Laughlin's star had fallen sharply within the Thorne gang, which is rumored to have been taken over by somebody else, somebody from within the organization, but we don't know who."

"Dent was giving a press conference about the prosecution of Boss Thorne," Alfred told Bruce. "When Laughlin threw a bottle of acid right into his face."

"Good God," Bruce muttered in horror. "Any word on his condition?"

"Not much," Alfred said. He pointed at the screens again. "There's some footage of the aftermath."

Bruce called it up on the main screen, and saw a scene of chaos: people running, screaming, and the police just barely keeping it together. Then he saw something that startled him. He freeze-framed the footage on a image of Rachel, who was being led from the scene by Alex. She was barefoot and not wearing a jacket. And what made the scene even more worrisome for Bruce was that her state of undress didn't seem to matter to Rachel--she had a dazed, vacant look on her face, like a war zone refugee who had seen too much and could not take any more.

"Dear God," Alfred whispered, as he stared at the image. "Rachel and Alex were there."

"I've got to see her," Bruce said, as he got up from the console. He began to run over to don the Batsuit when Alfred called his name.

"It's still daylight, sir," Alfred reminded him. "It's not the Batman's favored time of day."

"Doesn't matter," Bruce said, sick with worry over Rachel. "She needs me, Alfred."

Alfred grabbed his arm. "She needs _you_, Master Bruce; not the Batman."

That startled Bruce for a moment, until he thought it over and nodded. "Yes, Alfred. You're right, as always. I'll get changed upstairs."

He ran upstairs and quickly changed into a suit. As he ran towards the garage, Bruce abruptly realized that, in his haste to be at Rachel's side, he completely forgot to find out exactly where she was.

Alfred appeared just then, with a phone in his hand. "Just spoke to Olivia. And she said that they're all at Angel Of Mercy. Rachel and Alex are fine," he assured Bruce. "Commissioner Gordon insisted that they go to the hospital just to be checked out. Now they're all there waiting to hear the latest word about Mr. Dent."

"Thanks, Alfred, you're a lifesaver," Bruce said, as he ran towards the garage. It never ceased to amaze him how Alfred always knew what he wanted before he even asked for it. Sometimes Alfred would provide him with something before Bruce even realized he needed it. If he didn't know any better, Bruce would swear that the old man was psychic.

He took the Aston Martin, because it was the fastest thing he owned on wheels--other than the Batmobile. He avoided traffic by taking a side road into Gotham City, and before long he was pulling into the parking lot of Angel Of Mercy Hospital.

The nurse at the main desk directed him to a waiting room outside the emergency room. There, he found Commissioner Gordon, Alex, Olivia, Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, City Councilman Flanders, and the Mayor all anxiously waiting for word.

Bruce walked up and tightly hugged both Olivia and Alex. "I saw you on the news," he said to Alex. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, smiling. "I'm fine, thanks. So is Rachel. She got some of the acid on her jacket and shoes, but she removed them in time."

Bruce nodded. That explained her lack of clothing earlier. "Where is she?"

"Women's room," Olivia replied. She glanced at her watch with a frown. "Come to think of it, she's been gone a while, now."

Commissioner Gordon came over and shook Bruce's hand in greeting. "Good of you to come, Bruce."

"I had to once I saw the news," he said. "How's Harvey? Any word?"

"Still in surgery," Gordon said with a sigh. "He's fighting for his life right now. We're told it's going to be touch and go for a while."

"They said on the news that he was struck in the face," Bruce said with a grimace.

"It's one side of Harvey's face," Gordon said. "He tried to turn away just as that little bastard threw the acid, so it struck him on the left side, as well as hitting his left hand."

"Bruce?" Olivia called. She stood in the hallway and gestured for him to come over.

"Excuse me," he told Gordon, and joined Olivia in the hallway. "What's up?"

"I just saw Rachel," she said. "She started walking down the hallway when she abruptly ducked into the atrium." Olivia gave a little shrug, as she added, "If I'm out of line, say so, but I'd thought maybe you'd want to catch up with her in private."

Bruce affectionately rubbed her arm. "You're never out of line, Liv. Thanks."

The atrium was a glass enclosed section of the hospital with a walkway running between various trees and plants. There was even a small pond in the center with fish floating inside. It was a little slice of the outdoors that had been brought inside; a calm, quiet oasis for patients and visitors to relax and reflect.

Bruce found Rachel off to herself by the pond. She was clad in sweats, and running shoes, with her hair unbound and hanging down past her shoulders. Even while wearing a hoodie with the GCPD logo emblazoned on the back, Bruce still thought she looked gorgeous.

She stood dialing her cell phone. Bruce was about to move away, to give her some privacy, until he heard her say, "Hello, Alfred? This is Rachel. Yes, yes, Alfred…I'm fine. Yes, really! I'm all right. Thanks so much for asking, you're such a sweetie. Is Bruce there?"

Then Bruce saw her shoulders slump in disappointment as she whispered, "He just left…so, I missed him again, uh?"

He stepped forward and gently said, "Rachel."

When she turned and saw him, the look of relief on her face was apparent. But there was something else. It was as if all of the weight on Rachel's shoulders, all of the burdens she'd been carrying, had slid off the moment she laid eyes on him.

"No, you were right, Alfred," she said with a laugh into the phone, "he's right here! Thanks. Talk to you later, Alfred."

When she switched off the cell, Rachel took a tentative steps towards him, then stopped. "Bruce, I…." She just shook her head helplessly.

Bruce knew her all too well. Rachel had been resolutely holding it all together, keeping her emotions in check--until now, when it looked as if her inner dam was about to burst from the pressure.

He simply held out his hands and said, "Come here, Rachel."

She ran into his embrace, and burst into tears on his shoulder.

"It's all right," he soothed her. "Just let it out."

After a good crying jag, she accepted the clean handkerchief that he offered her. "It seems like whenever I catch my breath lately, everything goes straight to hell," she muttered.

"Believe me, I know the feeling," Bruce said. "When I first heard about what happened to Dent, I thought the Joker was behind it--only to find out it was just some fruit loop in Thorne's gang. Just when you think you've got a handle on things, somebody goes pulls the rug out from under you."

"The mayor just did that to me now," Rachel said. She stared up at him with wide-eyed disbelief. "He wants me to run the office as an Acting District Attorney, Bruce!"

"I can understand why," he said. "You're damn good, Rachel."

"No, I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm not sure if I could really do it."

"Remember all the times you've talked about what you would do if you were ever given the chance to run the office?" Bruce asked. "Well, here's your chance, Rachel."

"I don't know if I'm even capable of doing something like that, Bruce," she admitted.

Bruce gazed into her eyes and said, "If I didn't think you were able to do it, Rachel, I'd never suggest the idea."

She still looked uncertain. "You really think I should?"

**B&B**

After glad-handing everybody in the waiting room, the Mayor made a public statement where he hoped and prayed for Harvey Dent's immediate recovery, and then he waltzed onto his next Very Important Appointment, with his mob of toadies in tow.

'New York City, or Gotham City, politicians are the same everywhere,' Olivia thought, as she watched the Mayor waddle his way down the corridor. 'They're so slimy, I'm surprised they don't leave behind a trail of ooze wherever they walk….'

Bruce and Rachel emerged from the atrium just then, encountering the Mayor. Olivia watched as they spoke briefly. Earlier, Rachel really didn't look as if she would take up the Mayor's offer to be the Acting DA--which was a shame, since Olivia thought Rachel would be perfect for the job.

Renee sat down in front of her and Alex. "So, were you properly impressed with your meeting with our beloved Mayor?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"He called me Olive," Olivia grumbled.

Renee just shook her head in disgust while Alex burst into laughter.

"And this was even after his assistant introduced us--and _she_ got my name right!" Olivia said, with a roll of her eyes. "He's like, 'Good meeting you, Olive! Welcome to the team!'"

Now Renee was laughing along with Alex. Even Bullock sat with a large grin plastered on his face as his hearty laughter made his belly shake like a mound of Jello.

Gordon, who was speaking on his cell phone, hung up and came over to the giggling crowd--who all sheepishly stopped laughing at his approach.

"Oh, don't worry about it," he told them, waving a hand. "I'm sure Harvey wouldn't begrudge you guys a moment of mirth. It's been a long day for all of us. And it looks like it'll be a long night for me, as well…."

"Something the matter, sir?" Olivia asked. "I mean, other than--"

"Yeah, my wife just called to tell me that the babysitter cancelled on us," Gordon said in annoyance. "We've got to attend the police commissioners' ball later tonight, and now we've got to scramble to find somebody to watch Barbra."

Olivia fondly thought back to the serious, yet kind-hearted little girl whom she met in the SVU bullpen, and she couldn't help but grin. She glanced at Alex and said, "We're not doing anything tonight, are we?"

Alex smiled back at her. "My calendar's clear for the evening."

"We'd be happy to watch Barbra for you," Olivia offered to Gordon.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to put you through any trouble," he said.

"No trouble at all," Olivia assured him. "We'd love to have Barbra over."

"Ok, great," Gordon said with a smile. "You can bet that Babs will be very happy to hear she'll be staying with you, tonight, Liv."

Rachel came back with Bruce, and Olivia noted that they were holding hands. "I heard you met the Mayor, Liv," Bruce said to her. "Did he mangle your name as well?"

This caused another collective chuckling from the group as Olivia nodded her head in the affirmative. "He called me Olive."

Bruce smiled. "Don't feel bad. When I first met him, the Mayor kept calling me Brian."

"Has the Mayor tried to recruit you one last time into becoming the Acting DA?" Gordon asked Rachel.

"Yes," Rachel said. With a glance at Bruce, she added, "And I've accepted."

"That's great news, Rachel," Gordon said. "I just wish it happened under better circumstances."

"As do I," Rachel said. She grew thoughtful for a moment. "It's been brought to my attention that there may be a problem with the evidence involved in the Thorne case. Commisioner, I'd like to release it back to your department, and have your crime scene technicians go over it with a fine tooth comb, just to be on the safe side."

Gordon nodded. Olivia noted that he appeared relieved. "Will do. But won't that create a delay in your case?"

"The Thorne case is already put on hold thanks to recent events, anyway. Another few days delay won't matter." Rachel let out a heavy sigh. "I'm still going to have to make an announcement sometime today to formally introduce myself to the citizens of Gotham City as their new Acting DA."

"That's what your communications director is for," Bruce told her.

"Yes, I know. But it would be better if I went on myself," Rachel said softly. "The entire city--probably the entire world--saw what happened on the steps of our office this morning. They need to see me standing up there--if nothing else, just to assure them that the business of this office will continue, and that we won't be deterred by thugs."

Olivia looked on at Rachel with a mixture of awe and pride. 'The Mayor was right in choosing her,' she thought. 'If nothing else, it's nice to know that His Honor wasn't a complete moron….'

Rachel glanced up at Bruce with a question in her eyes. He nodded with a smile. "I'll be at your press conference," he said, squeezing her hand. "Wild horses couldn't keep me away."

"I'll be there too," Alex spoke up. "If you still want me, that is."

Rachel looked so grateful she began to tear up. "Yes, we still want you, Alex--now, more than ever. After what happened, I didn't think you would…well, never mind that. Thank you so much for reconsidering."

"Why did you change your mind about joining the DA's office?" Olivia asked Alex.

Alex and Rachel both shared an uneasy glance. Yet before Alex could even say a word, Harvey Bullock abruptly stood up and said, "Yo, the doc's here!"

Everybody gathered around the doctor, who was still clad in his surgical scrubs. "He's stable," he told them all. "And his outlook for surviving this is very good. As far as the left side of his face and his left hand are concerned…." He shook his head sadly. "Well, there's always reconstructive surgery. But Mr. Dent's got a long road of recovery ahead of him."

Olivia overheard Alex mutter under her breath, "So he's gone permanently from the job. Good."

When Alex took note of Olivia's stunned look, she leaned over and whispered, "Not here, Liv. Not now. Later, when we're alone, I'll tell you."

**B&B**

Rocco strode through the hallway of the mansion with Kendrick and Lenny flanking him. When he arrived at the conference room, he saw the doors were closed and were being guarded by Ernie Stonefly and two of his boys.

"What's up, Rocco?" Ernie asked.

"I've got to see the Riddler," Rocco said.

"Riddler gave orders not to be disturbed," Ernie said with a 'what can you do?' shrug. "He's in there working on the master plan with the team."

"What team?"

Ernie took Rocco over to the side so that they could speak without their subordinates overhearing. "Get this: remember when you and the Riddler come back from Metropolis with the glowing rocks earlier? Yeah, well, soon afterwards, Riddler tells me to go through all of the crews and find guys who have experience playing video games."

"Video games?" Rocco said in disbelief.

Ernie just shook his head in puzzlement. "So I finds guys in the gang who play video games and bring them to the Riddler, and they've all been cooped up in the conference room ever since. Have you ever heard of anything so crazy?"

"No, but Riddler really needs to hear what Lenny and Kendrick have to say," Rocco told him. "They found the Joker's hideout."

Ernie's face grew dead serious. "They found where that bastard lives? You're right: Riddler needs to know this!"

Ernie knocked on the doors before opening them up. Rocco gestured for Lenny and Kendrick to follow him inside. Yet Rocco wasn't prepared for the sight at greeted him.

A group of men sat at the conference table, with each man hunkered down before a lap top computer, staring intently at the screen. Rocco noted that they were mostly kids--all twenty-something. It made sense that it would be the younger guys in the gang who would be good at playing video games. The Riddler hovered over them like a teacher in a schoolroom. He even gave Rocco and Ernie a curt look when they entered, as if annoyed that his class had been interrupted.

"Sorry to bother you, Riddler," Ernie said. "But you need to hear this."

"And what might that be?" Riddler asked.

"Lenny and Kendrick found the Joker's hideout," Rocco told him.

A broad smile crossed the face of the Riddler as he crossed over to Rocco. "Indeed? And here I'd thought you two boys had been casualties of our encounter with the Clown Prince Of Crime."

"We're sorry we didn't follow your orders to return to base," Lenny said. "But we were angry, y'know? The Joker mowed down our friends like they were nothing. We wanted revenge."

"And, thanks to you, we can achieve that revenge," the Riddler said, still smiling. "Ernie, you've been complaining about how bored you've been here."

"Sorry, Riddler," he said sheepishly. "It's just I don't understand all this computer stuff."

"Then how about I give you an assignment you will understand?" the Riddler asked. "You'll lead the strike force on the Joker's hideout. Take as many men--and guns--as you need. Just kill everyone there, especially that clown-faced moron."

Now it was Ernie's turn to break into a broad smile. "You got it, Riddler!"

"You sure it's wise telling Ernie to take as many men as he needs?" Rocco whispered to the Riddler after Ernie left with Lenny and Kendrick. "What about the big heist we're supposed to be pulling tonight? Won't we need as many men as we can spare for that?"

The Riddler waved at the men who were seated at the conference table. "These are all the men we need for the heist, Rocco. And it's all set."

"All set?" Rocco said, surprised. "Don't we need to case the joint, first?"

"No need," the Riddler said. "Since you're coming with us, Rocco, you might as well know the whole plan right now."

And when Rocco heard the entire master plan, he was so stunned that his jaw dropped open. "Good God, Riddler! That's genius! If we pull this off, it'll be the crime of the century!"

"If not the crime of the millennium," the Riddler said, smiling. "And with the Kryptonite and these boys now ready, it's all set to go--but we'll have to make a little side trip, first."

"No problem," Rocco said, gazing at the Riddler with renewed respect. "I'd follow you into hell itself, if need be."

"No need for that, Rocco, although the sentiment is appreciated," the Riddler said. "But with any luck, we should be sending the Joker, the Batman, and Superman all to hell instead."

**B&B**

'Time to check on Harley,' the Joker thought, as she strolled into the bedroom.

He stopped at the edge of the bed and pulled back the blankets, revealing a trussed up and gagged Harley Quinn underneath. She still wore the nightshirt she had worn to bed last night. Joker never gave her much of a chance to change; he had simply pulled her--still asleep--right out of bed earlier and tied her up. Harley had started whining, wanting to know what she had done wrong this time, until the Joker gagged her with a rag.

Now the Joker pulled Harley roughly to her feet and untied her hands. He examined her wrists, and smiled when he saw that the rope had left deep red marks in her skin. "Marvelous," he said.

"You're not mad at me?" Harley asked, after she removed the gag.

"Harley, my darling girl, how could I ever be mad at you?" Joker asked, as he gave her a little hug. "Why, in fact, I'm trusting you to accomplish a very important task for me later tonight."

"Really, Mister J?" she said with a broad smile. "What's that?"

"Wait, just wait one minute," Joker muttered, as he regarded her with a critical eye. "There's something about you that's still not right. Ah, yes, I've got it!"

And then he slugged her hard right on the face. Harley was lucky that she stood in front of the bed, for she had something soft to break her fall as she collapsed in a heap on the mattress.

The Joker bent over her and saw that his punch had caused bruising and swelling to her right eye. "Yes," he said with an approving nod. "Oh yes, that's much better! You're now all set for your task later, Harley, my dear!"

"Oh, I'm…I'm so glad to hear that," Harley said, dazed. "I w-wouldn't want to disappoint you, Mister J!"

And then she passed out on the bed.

As he stood up and regarded her prone form, something occurred to the Joker. 'She loves me,' he realized. 'She really, really loves me!'

"What a stupid bitch," Joker muttered, as he left Harley to sleep it off. She would need the rest, for tonight will be a memorable one. It will bear witness to the destruction of the Batman once and for all.

"Perhaps I should get some champagne ready," the Joker said excitedly, and then erupted into wild laughter.

**B&B**

Rachel gazed at herself in the full-length mirror in her office. She exchanged the sweats she'd worn at the hospital for one of her dark business suits. When she heard a knock at her door, she called, "Come in."

Alex entered. "The press room is ready." she said. "Are you ready for them?"

"Yeah," Rachel said, as she critically viewed her hair, which was still unbound. "What do you think?"

Alex stood behind Rachel and squinted at her in the mirror. "Maybe you should consider either putting your hair up or back."

"I was thinking the same thing," Rachel said. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and secured it with a clasp. She glanced at herself in the mirror once more and frowned. Although having her hair pulled away from her face gave Rachel a slightly more professional look, she still thought she looked too young.

'Too young, too green, too inexperienced--what the hell was the mayor thinking in choosing me to run this office?' Rachel though dismally. 'And what the hell was I thinking in accepting?!'

"Are you all right?" Alex asked.

"Would it help if I wore my glasses?" Rachel blurted out. "Maybe it'll make me look like somebody who actually knows what she's doing."

Alex placed her arm over her shoulders. "You're going to do just fine. You've done press conferences before, so just relax and be yourself, ok?"

"Ok, thanks, Alex," Rachel said with a sigh. "I'm ready. Let's go."

When she stepped through the doorway of her office, Rachel was startled to see two burly men in suits approach her. "Good afternoon Ms. Dawes," one of them said, as he held up a badge. "I'm Detective Mark Gibbons, and this is my partner Harold Kolinsky."

"Something I can do for you guys?" Rachel asked.

Gibbons smiled slightly. "No ma'am, we're your bodyguards. The Commissioner personally assigned us to you."

"Oh," Rachel said, taken aback. "I see."

"Where are we going?" Kolinsky asked.

"Um, to the press conference?" Rachel meekly asked.

Gibbons nodded. "Very well, ma'am. I'll take the lead, Detective Kolinsky will bring up the rear."

As they walked down the corridor towards the elevators, Alex leaned over and whispered, "From now on, don't ask their permission, just tell them where you want to go, ok?"

"Got it, thanks," Rachel said with a laugh. "I guess Gordon was serious when he told me he wanted security beefed up for me."

"You're the new DA, so get used to it," Alex said.

When they stepped into the elevator, a stranger tried to step on with them until Gibbons held up his massive, bear claw-like hand and said, "I'm sorry, sir. But we're full."

"There's still ample room in here for me!" the man angrily protested.

Kolinsky leaned forward and screamed "GET ANOTHER ELEVATOR!" right in the man's face.

"Ok, ok, ok," the man muttered, severely rattled, as he quickly backed out of the elevator.

The incident served to make Rachel feel even more nervous than she already felt. Entering the press room, she was further disconcerted to see the massive crowd of reporters who had gathered to hear what she had to say. It was a far larger crowd than the kind that normally attended news briefings. She saw that Lois Lane and Clark Kent from the Metropolis Daily Planet were in the audience, as well as several other reporters whom she recognized from the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune.

When she glanced up at the gallery at the top of the auditorium, Rachel received a further shock when she saw news crews from all the major American TV networks, as well as Japanese, Chinese and Russian camera crews. There were also camera teams from the British Broadcasting Company, the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and even from the Australian Broadcasting Company.

Rachel was so stunned that she hesitated for a brief moment, staring down at the podium before her as if consulting her notes. She had done press conferences before, but they had always been about her cases for the local news. But at this conference, she felt the eyes of the entire world apon her--literally!--and it had sent Rachel into such a tizzy that she momentarily forgot what she was even here to talk about.

'Get started,' she told herself. 'You're just standing here, staring at the podium, so just get it started by saying something!'

"Good evening," she said, her voice uneasy. "My name is Rachel Dawes."

Then Rachel flew into a panic when she realized that it was still technically afternoon, and the realization of her mistake caused her to freeze up; her throat constricted, and no further words could get through. This was it, she was going to crash and burn at her very first news conference as a DA….

And then she saw him.

Bruce Wayne stood at the far end of the crowd, leaning against the wall. It was so like him to be lurking in the shadows, and Rachel thought it was oddly comforting, as well. She watched as Bruce, staring right at her, placed his hand flat on his chest, over his heart. And then he closed his hand into a fist and lightly tapped it against his chest.

Rachel instinctively realized that he was telling her to be strong. And with that realization, all of the panic, and the fear, instantly melted away within her.

"In light of the horrible attack on District Attorney Harvey Dent, I have been asked by the mayor to step in as Acting DA for the Gotham City District's Attorney's Office," Rachel said--in a loud, commanding voice that she couldn't believe was her own. "I have accepted the mayor's offer, and hope that my efforts will help to ensure that the business of this office will continue uninterrupted, as I'm sure Mr. Dent would have wanted it. Although he is still in critical condition, Mr. Dent is out of surgery and is resting comfortably at Angel Of Mercy Hospital. I will now accept your questions."

The first reporter whom Rachel picked was a woman who introduced herself as Connie Newman from the Central City Bulletin. "I'd like to read for you something that Carl Bormann has stated today on his radio show," she said, glancing down at a sheet of paper. "And I quote: 'The attack on District Attorney Harvey Dent today only proves that Gotham City is nothing more than a haven for madmen and outlaws, and that the best thing that the United States could do is to cut this diseased city off and shove it out to sea.' End quote. Ms. Dawes, how do you handle such harsh criticism like that?"

"With a grain of salt," Rachel muttered. "Next question?"

She was surprised to hear a low rumble of laughter resonate throughout the collected reporters. Rachel glanced at Bruce and saw him smiling broadly as he gave her a thumbs up sign.

Out of all the raised hands, she chose Clark Kent.

"Clark Kent, Metropolis Daily Planet," he said, by way of introduction. "Is it safe to assume that, since the attack, security for you has now been increased, Ms. Dawes?"

"Yes, Mr. Kent," Rachel said, as she gave another, sly glance at Bruce. "I'm very well protected."

**B&B**

"'Juicy rape stories'?" Olivia repeated, with a shake of her head. "Are you sure you heard him correctly?"

Alex shrugged. "I couldn't believe it, either, Liv. But that was what Dent said to me, shortly before he was attacked."

They stood in the kitchen of Alex's condo, which would soon belong to the both of them, now that Olivia had decided to stay in Gotham City. They were barefoot, and clad in casual tops and jeans. It was several hours after the successful press conference hosted by Rachel Dawes, who had turned out to be the talk of the town, both publicly and privately. From what Olivia and Alex had heard and seen so far, the word from the public about Rachel taking over the DA's office was generally very good.

"My God," Olivia muttered with disgust. "Just when you think you know a guy…."

"Rachel was stunned, as well," Alex said. "So it's not like it's something that he said every day."

"Yeah, but still, it was certainly something he was thinking about on a regular basis," Olivia said. She shook her head again. "Now I know why you were so happy he's gone."

"I didn't want it to happen like this," Alex said defensively.

"Oh, I know, hon," Olivia assured her. "Having acid thrown in somebody's face isn't something I'd wish on my worst enemy, either. And I know you feel the same."

When they heard the soft patter of footfalls in the hallway outside, Olivia and Alex both dropped ceased their conversation with its lurid subject matter. Barbra Gordon appeared in the doorway, giving them a shy smile. Clad in a fashionable black turtleneck with matching color pants, she had also removed her shoes and socks.

"Hey, Barbra," Olivia said with a smile. "All settled in?"

"Yes." She expectantly glanced back and forth between Olivia and Alex. "Were you two talking about the Batman?"

"Uh, no," said Olivia. "What makes you ask that?"

"Whenever my mom and dad suddenly hush up when I walk in on them, that's usually when they're talking about the Batman," Barbra said with a slight scowl. "I guess they know by now I don't like him."

"How come?" Alex asked. "Why don't you like the Batman, Barbra?"

"He's a vigilante," Barbra replied with distain. "And there's no place for somebody like that in the justice system. The police, and only the police, should apprehend criminals, nobody else. I also don't like bounty hunters for the same reason."

From the numerous run-ins she'd had with bounty hunters over the course of her police career, Olivia could honestly say she didn't care for them, either. Yet she still couldn't help but feel uneasy about how Barbra felt about the Batman. "You know, Barbra, normally I would agree with you. But there are many people whom the Batman has helped--he actually saved their lives. Alex and I are among them."

Barbra's eyes grew wide with amazement behind her glasses. "Really?"

"During the Penguin case, Batman saved both of us," Alex said.

"Wow," Barbra muttered, looking stunned. "I had no idea…I mean, I heard about that case, but I always thought the police were the ones who rescued you guys…"

"They did, at the very end," Olivia said. "But it was Batman who kept the both of us alive throughout that night. I can safely say that, if it weren't for him, we would both be dead right now."

"We owe him so much," Alex said softly.

"And yet he'll never ask for anything in return," Olivia mused.

Barabra appeared taken aback as she shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense. If he's so heroic and helpful, then why is he so… so scary?"

'Ah, so that's it,' Olivia realized. 'She's afraid of him.' Olivia bent down before Barbra and said, "Remember something, hon. Batman is only scary to the guilty. The innocent--people just like you--have nothing to fear from him."

After a moment, Barbra nodded slowly in understanding--which caused Olivia to smile warmly at her. The more Olivia got to know young Barbra Gordon, she more she liked this kid.

Alex broke the solemn moment by glancing at the clock and muttering, "When the hell's that pizza getting here? I'm hungry!"

As if in response, the doorbell rang.

"Ask and ye shall receive," Olivia said, with a wink at Barbra. She grabbed several paper plates from the shelf. "Here, why don't you set these out on the dining room table?"

"Sure thing," Barbra replied, as she accepted the plates.

"I'll get the pizza!" Alex said, dashing over to the door.

"Why am I not surprised?" Olivia muttered.

She did a double take when Alex, after looking through the peep hole, abruptly backed away from the door in shock. The doorbell rang again--this time, it sounded more frantic. Yet Alex would not go near the door. Instead, she gazed fearfully at Olivia and said, "It's not the pizza guy, it's Harley Quinn!"

Olivia stood there, stunned, for a few seconds until the cop within her kicked into action. "Don't let her in," Olivia told Alex, as she ran into the bedroom and retrieved her Glock from its safety case. With the gun in hand, Olivia ran back outside and stood by the door.

She saw Quinn standing anxiously outside on the front steps through the peephole. "What the hell do you want here, Quinn?!"

"Please let me in!" Quinn cried. "I'm afraid for my life! It's the Joker! He's trying to kill me! H-He's crazy!"

"Humph, finally figured that out, you crazy bitch?" Olivia muttered, as she stared at Quinn's face through the peephole. Quinn looked like she was in bad shape; she had a black eye, and wore what appeared to be a man's shirt that was several sizes too large on her.

'The Joker really let her have it,' Olivia realized. 'Or, that's what it looks like, at least.'

Olivia glanced behind her and saw Barbara standing in the living room doorway with a scared look on her face. "You have your cell phone on you?"

"Yes," Barbra replied.

"Go in the living room and call your father right now and tell him what's happening," Olivia told her. When Barbra ran off, Olivia held the gun at the ready and said, "Ok, Alex, let her in. But back away immediately! Don't let her get close to you."

Alex opened the door with one hand and then quickly darted off to the side as Harley Quinn came barging inside, screaming and crying. She came to an abrupt halt when Olivia pointed the Glock right in her face.

"That's far enough, Dr. Quinn," Olivia said firmly. "Get up against the wall with your hands behind your head."

"B-But you don't understand," Harley said, looking hurt. "He held me captive--until I was able to get away from him after the fight at the science exhibit. But he caught me, a-and he…he did things to me! I'm the victim, here! I just did whatever I had to in order to survive!"

"And I suppose you managed to escape again?" Olivia asked, not buying it for a second.

"Yes, I did!" Quinn cried. "Look, arrest me, take me into custody; do whatever you want to me--just please keep me safe from that madman!"

"Jesus, Liv," Alex murmured from the side, "just look at the shape of her, would you?"

Olivia saw what Alex meant. Harley Quinn was indeed in bad shape. The shirt and pants she wore were torn and tattered, and there were deep red ligature marks on her wrists and ankles--which were clear signs that she had been tied up. And then there was that horrible black eye on her face.

"Ok," Olivia said, her tone softening. "We'll get you to a hospital and you can tell us all about it. But for now, I need you to get up against that wall."

"All right," Quinn agreed. She stood against the wall with her hands spread out. "But you might want to close that door before the Joker come--oh no! Too late!"

Alarmed, Olivia glanced at the front door--only to see nothing there.

"LIV!" Alex screamed. "WATCH OUT! SHE'S--"

Olivia let out a cry as Harley Quinn plunged a needle into the side of her neck. Olivia knocked Quinn back against the wall and pulled the needle out, but it was already too late. She felt dizzy and her vision blurred, yet she still held the gun on Quinn. "What did you inject me with, you stinking bitch?!"

"Nothing that will kill you," Quinn said, as a smile slowly spread across her face. "We don't want you dead--at least not yet."

'Oh, Christ, I'm fading fast,' Olivia thought, as she struggled to keep the gun steady. "Alex, come take the gun from me. Alex?"

"Alex isn't here anymore, Mrs. Torrence," a man said in a sing-song voice.

Olivia spun around and saw the Joker standing in her foyer, holding an unconscious Alex up before him like a shield. He held a folded piece of cloth over her nose and mouth--it was probably dipped in chloroform, which meant that poor Alex never had a chance. If Olivia tried to shoot at him, she would hit Alex. "Oh my God, no!" she cried.

That ghoulish alabaster face came out from behind Alex's head and leered maliciously at her. "Actually, it's 'Oh, my Joker' but that's all right. People often do confuse me with that other God-like being."

Olivia felt herself falling to the floor. And as she lay there, gazing up at the ceiling, she saw the faces of the Joker and Harley Quinn peering down at her.

"Inspector Olivia Benson of the Special Victim's Unit," the Joker said, grinning broadly, "tonight it's your turn to be a very special victim!"

The very last thought Olivia had, just before the darkness consumed her, was: 'Run, Barbra, run! Please get away from these psychos….please be safe!'

**B&B**

"Hello, you've reached the phone of Commisioner Gordon," the recorded voice said on the other end of the line. "Please leave a message at the beep."

"Oh, daddy, this is Barbra, please, please, pick up!" she whimpered into the cell phone. She had sought refuge in the bedroom closet, where she could hear the commotion outside, and it didn't sound good. Both Olivia and Alex sounded like they were being assaulted, and she might very well be next.

"Barbra!" her father's voice said, sounding alarmed. "Barbra, honey, what's wrong?!"

"Daddy, please come save us!" Barbra cried. "The lady who's the Joker's girlfriend is here, and I think the Joker is here too, oh Daddy…Daddy, please come and…aahhhh!"

The closet door flew open, revealing Harley Quinn, who reached down and grabbed Barbra by the throat and hauled her out of the closet.

"Call the Batman, Daddy!" Barbra frantically screamed into the cell phone. "Call the Bat--"

Harley Quinn slapped the phone out of her hands. Then, while holding Barbra prone against the wall, she produced another needle. "Time to shut you up for good, you little brat!"

Barbra's eyes were wide and fearful behind her glasses as Harley proceeded to stick the needle into her throat.

**B&B**

The Joker reached out and stopped Harley's hand, just as the needle was barely an inch away from the little girl's neck. "What do you think you're doing, Harley?"

"Injecting her," Harley replied. "What does it look like, Mister J?"

"You're using an adult dosage," the Joker pointed out. "It will kill her."

Harley shrugged. "Yeah, so? I thought you just wanted Olivia Benson."

In response, the Joker abruptly back-handed her--the blow sent Harley careening against the opposite wall. "Didn't you hear what she just said, you stupid cow?" the Joker asked. "She asked her daddy to call the Batman. She's Commisioner Gordon's daughter!"

Barbra Gordon tried to take advantage of the fact that she was momentarily free by running for her life past the Joker. But he grabbed her with lightning speed and stuffed the chloroform-soaked rag over her face until the girl succumbed to unconsciousness. Then he removed the rag from her face and lifted her prone body up into his arms.

"Olivia Benson, Alex Cabot, and Commissioner Gordon's little rug rat," the Joker said, as his lips split into another unearthly grin. "With a guest list like this, this is one slumber party that Batman simply can't refuse to attend!"

**To be continued...**


	11. Evil Triumphant

_A/N: My thanks, as always, to Rebelbyrdie, Andrea, S.carlett V.on U.ttenburg (love that name!), and Hyades for their kind words. _

_And Scarlet: no, my name isn't James. Just click on my author name "Mcfergeson" and it'll take you to my homepage. _

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Eleven**

**"Evil Triumphant"**

He had been asleep while Olivia Benson, Alex Cabot and Barbra Gordon had been kidnapped.

Rachel had returned with him to Wayne Manor, where Alfred had fixed them a lovely dinner. After they ate, Bruce had every intention to don the Batsuit and go out on patrol--but something happened.

It was Rachel.

She had looked absolutely fetching in the candlelight of the dinner table. Flushed with the success of her news conference, Rachel had a radiant glow to her that Bruce found irresistible. She undid her hair, letting it flow over her shoulders; Rachel had also removed her suit jacket, and Bruce had spent the better part of the meal mentally unbuttoning her blouse. It took everything he had just to restrain himself.

When Rachel admitted she was a little tired, Alfred insisted that she spend the night in a guest bedroom at the Manor; the old man would not hear of her driving back to Gotham City in her weary condition. And when Rachel quickly agreed, Bruce found himself feeling excited at the fact that she would be here when he got back from patrol.

It happened when he got up from the table to bid her goodbye. Bruce was on his way to the Batcave, to don the suit and spend the night hunting for the Joker, yet something stopped him.

It was Rachel.

He had meant to give her a simple goodbye kiss, and when Rachel expectantly stood there, standing on tip-toe, her head arched back, eyes closed, ready to receive his kiss--that was when Bruce lost it. His mouth found hers, and the kiss was lingering, and passionate. Before he knew it, he had swept Rachel up in his arms and carried her off to his bedroom, where they got lost in each other as they made glorious love.

And, afterward, they fell asleep in each other's warm embrace--yet for Bruce, his dreams were fitful and unsettling. In his dream, he wandered in a dark mist, hearing an echoing laughter in the distance. When he found the source of the laughter, Bruce came face to face with a tall, imposing figure that emerged from the mist.

It was Ra's Al Ghul.

His old mentor/enemy smiled at him; his dark eyes flashing in the mist. "Mind your surroundings, Bruce," he warned.

And then, without warning, Ra's brandished a gleaming sword in his hands, which he used to viciously slash at Bruce--

--causing him to wake up in a cold sweat.

Rachel was still curled up next to him, sound asleep. She was clad in one of his pajama tops--which fit her like a dress. The bedroom was quiet and secure; everything was all right.

Yet Bruce knew there was something dreadfully wrong--if not here, then somewhere else in Gotham City. He could feel it in his gut. And so he wasn't at all surprised when Alfred knocked on his door and told him that the Bat-signal had been lit in the night sky.

Bruce went to the Batcave and quickly donned the Batsuit, once again feeling like a warrior preparing for battle. But before he could leave the ready room, something gave him pause.

It was Rachel.

She stood in the doorway, her hands nervously clutched together in a tight ball on her chest--the sleeves of her pajama top, which was several sizes too large for her, were rolled up past her elbows; her legs and feet were bare.

A part of him wanted to take her again, right then and there. But duty called. Besides, Rachel appeared anxious, uneasy--as if she also sensed that something was amiss, as well.

"What is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"That's what I'm going to find out," he said, giving her a gentle caress on the side of her face.

"Be careful," she told him. "Please."

"Always," he replied, and then he was off.

He took the Batwing, since it was faster than even the Batmobile. He arrived at the source of the Bat-signal, Gotham City police headquarters, and was stunned to see Jim Gordon sitting beside the spotlight, looking wasted, devastated.

"Jim," Batman said softly, "what is it?"

Gordon glanced up at him, and Batman was shocked to see he had been crying. "Barbra, my little girl, has been abducted by the Joker," Gordon said. "She was staying at Olivia and Alex's condo for the night. The Joker had also abducted Olivia and Alex, too. It just happened about a half an hour ago."

Gordon wiped away a tear. "She called me, Batman--my little girl called me, begging for my help, and I couldn't get there fast enough. I couldn't help her!"

As Batman reeled in horror at the news, a small voice at the back of his mind cruelly reminded him that the Joker had abducted Olivia, Alex and Barbra Gordon while he had been blissfully sleeping in bed with Rachel. He had dropped his guard, he had slacked off…he had been asleep.

And now three innocent people may well pay the price.

Somewhere in the depths of hell, Ra's A Ghul was no doubt laughing at him.

**B&B**

Linda wanted to cry.

She glanced around the condo that had been home to her boss Olivia Benson and was dismayed to see the army of crime scene technicians scattered about. While she knew that everyone here was simply doing their job in trying to collect as much evidence on the women's kidnapping as possible, Linda still hated to see them here, in this sacred place; the home of the first two people in Gotham City who showed kindness to a scared little farm girl.

When her parents were killed in a car accident when she was 23, Linda sold the small farm she had lived on her entire life and came to Gotham City, in an attempt to pursue her dream of becoming a police officer. It was hard for her, not knowing anybody in the city, and not even having the support of her loved ones, who were all deceased. Yet she stuck her nose to the grindstone and graduated at the top of her class from the police academy.

But instead of being put out on street patrol, Linda was told to go see Commissioner Gordon at police headquarters. Gordon, taking note of her exceptional organizational skills, asked Linda if she would like to work as an assistant for the then-acting commander of the newly formed Special Victim's Unit. When Linda had accepted, she nervously braced herself to encounter a demanding, hard-to-please, bossy superior officer--but instead, she got Olivia.

Working for Olivia Benson had been an exhilarating, and enlightening, experience for Linda. Olivia had been more than just a boss to Linda; she was the big sister whom Linda--an only child--never had. Olivia took Linda under her wing and taught her far more about police work than the academy ever could. And even when they were off the clock, Olivia had invited Linda over here for dinner several times. Linda cherished the times when she, Olivia and Alex had sat around the kitchen table laughing over old cop stories.

And now those fond memories in this warm and comforting place were shattered by the aftermath of this terrible crime. When Linda realized that Olivia, Alex, and poor little Barbra were now in the hands of the Joker, the same madman who was responsible for all of those horribly mutilated bodies she saw at Arkham Asylum, it was just too much for her to bear.

She excused herself from the technicians, went into a quiet corner, and began to cry. Linda realized she wasn't being very professional, but she didn't care. Two of her best friends--the first true friends she'd ever made in Gotham City--and a little girl were in desperate danger tonight, and there wasn't a thing she could do for them.

When she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, Linda figured it was one of the Crime Scene Techs--until she glanced up and was shocked to see that it was Commissioner Gordon who had reached out to her.

"C-Commissioner," Linda said, quickly wiping the tears from her face. "I'm sorry, sir, I--"

"You're close to Liv," he said. He looked haggard and worn out--which was understandable, since his only daughter had been kidnapped by the Joker. "No apologies needed, Linda. Come with us."

Linda saw that Gordon was flanked by two grim-looking detectives: Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya. Montoya nodded for Linda to join them as Gordon walked out to the center of the living room.

"Found anything?" Gordon asked the lead CSU tech.

"No, sir," the man said, with a defeated look. "The Joker normally wears gloves, anyway, so we don't have any prints from him. Just about the only prints here are from Inspector Benson, ADA Cabot, Barbra Gord--uh…um, I mean to say that the only prints we have are from the victims and from Harley Quinn. We've got prints from all the women, but that's it."

"Very well," Gordon said gruffly. "You may clear the crime scene."

The CSU tech looked stunned. "Excuse me, sir, but did you just ask--"

"What are ya, deaf?!" Bullock roared at him. "The Commish just gave youse an order: clear the crime scene! NOW!"

All of the SCU techs immediately dropped what they were doing and left the condo. Although she wasn't a member of CSU, Linda was about to go out with them as well until Gordon stopped her. "You have as much at stake in this as me," he told her. "Stay with us."

Puzzled at what was going on, Linda nodded, remaining by the commissioner's side as Bullock and Montoya made a sweep of the entire condo. After their sweep was done, they both returned to the living room. "The place is secure," Montoya reported. "We're the only ones here, boss."

"Very well," Gordon said with a nod. Then he turned to the patio and said, "All clear!"

Linda was startled to see a black shape appear out of the night sky. The shape landed on the patio and stood up into a human-like form with large wings and pointed ears on its head. As it stepped into the light of the living room, Linda was amazed when she realized that she stared at none other than the Batman himself.

"Other than prints, CSU hasn't found anything," Montoya told the Dark Knight.

"So I heard," Batman replied, as he glanced about the condo. "No other evidence left behind? Anything that might indicate where the Joker may have taken them?"

"Nada," Harvey replied. "Benson's gun case is empty--but her piece is missing, so she may have tried to fight back when she realized something was wrong. But there ain't no signs that she fired her gun."

Batman glanced down at the floor. "I overheard a mention of footprints before."

"Large parts of the floor's covered in this weird red dust," Linda spoke up. Once she did, the Batman gazed directly at her, causing Linda to shiver involuntarily. He was just as imposing as Olivia and Alex made him out to be. "It helps make the women's footprints to stand out. There's more of it by the front door."

The Batman brushed past her and knelt down by the door. He rubbed a pair of gloved-covered fingers in the dust and held them up to his face. "It's clay," he said. "Red clay."

"Like the type found in the woods?" Gordon asked.

Batman shook his head. "No. It's refined, Jim, like the type used for industrial purposes." He stood up. "The Joker has a penchant for hiding out in old, abandoned factories. I'm willing to bet that this red clay is a calling card from his present hideout."

"An old factory that used red clay to make…what?" Montoya asked. "What's red clay used for?"

"Terracotta tiles?" Linda offered. She was getting set up in a new apartment, and most of her free time was spent on planning her interior decorating.

Batman nodded his head. Linda could almost swear he smiled at her. "Yes," he said. "There's an abandoned tile factory on Industry Row, in the Iron View section of Gotham City."

"I can order the entire Gotham City police force to converge on that location," Gordon said thoughtfully. "But we don't know for sure yet if that's actually the Joker's hideout. And if it is, that means the Joker's got the hostages there, so we'd have to be careful not to let the Joker know we're coming. Batman, I was wondering if you'd go ahead and--"

But the Batman was already gone.

Linda realized that the Batman went off to scout out the location on his own. "I hope he knows what he's doing," she blurted out.

"Linda, there's no other man whom I'd trust with the life of my daughter," Gordon told her somberly. "Or with the lives of Olivia and Alex."

Linda nodded. For the first time this evening, she felt a faint glimmer of hope. She hoped that was enough to save Olivia, Alex and Barbra.

**B&B**

'Damn it,' Batman thought, as he flew over the Iron View section of Gotham City. The tile factory was right where he'd remembered it, yet the place was located within a vast, abandoned complex that was covered with a multitude of walkways and pipes that stretched all over.

He could just leave the Batwing on auto-pilot and hoof it around down there on foot, but Batman wanted the option of being able to call his craft should things get hairy--and when dealing with the Joker, things _always_ got hairy--but the metal maze of catwalks and pipes made it impossible for the Batwing to get through.

He carefully regarded the infrared screen and other assorted scanning devices that intently probed the area below. They showed no sign of life, but that was only on the outside; his equipment couldn't see through the buildings.

Batman smiled grimly as he was reminded of Superman and Supergirl's X-Ray ability, and felt a brief flash of envy.

He grabbed the controls and aimed the Batwing in the general direction towards Wayne Manor. He dialed the Batcave, and Alfred's face appeared on the intercom screen. "Olivia, Alex and Barbra Gordon have been kidnapped by the Joker. I'm coming back in to exchange the Batwing for the Batmobile, Alfred."

"We know about the kidnappings, sir," Alfred said, looking upset. "The Joker has put up a website online. He-he has video of Olivia…."

"How does she look?"

"Unconscious, but alive," Alfred replied. "It's something you should definitely see, sir."

"I'm almost home," Batman said. "I'll see you in a minute or so."

**B&B**

"Just give me a second, Jimmy," Lois Lane called from the bathroom. "I've got to touch-up my make up. Gotta look my best for the Police Commissioner's Ball tonight, right?"

When there was no answer, Lois frowned. "Jimmy? You fall asleep out there?"

Still no reply.

"You'd better not be playing a childish prank on me, kiddo," Lois muttered, as she left the bathroom. "Or else I'll--"

Lois paused, startled to see the large group of burly men standing in her hotel room. Jimmy lay flat on his back on her bed, knocked out.

"What did you do to Jimmy?!" Lois cried. "Who the hell are you guys?"

A short man in a green suit and bowler hat came out from behind the bar. Lois saw that he wore a mask and that his tie had a black question mark on it. She recognized him from the fiasco in the science exhibit.

"My name is the Riddler," he said amicably. "And these gentlemen are with me. We've met before, if you'll remember. And now, Ms. Lane, I have a question for you."

He flicked his hand, and one of the men grabbed Lois from behind. The Riddler continued to approach Lois as she wrestled in vain with the big thug who held her in a vise-like grip.

"Although impaled on a hook, I am still alive," the Riddler said, his smile turning into a broad grin. "Although still alive, my brief life will serve to entrap another. What am I?"

Before Lois could even say a word, the thug covered her nose and mouth in a chloroform-soaked rag. Although she renewed her efforts to free herself, it was a lost cause; the man's grip on her was too strong--and even when she desperately started to back-kick his legs with her heels, it was for naught, for Lois might well have been kicking the stumps of a mighty oak tree.

As Lois helplessly lost consciousness, she faintly heard the Riddler give the answer to his riddle.

"I'm bait," he said.

'Superman!' Lois thought with a flash of panic. 'He's using us to get to Superman! I've got to…'

The Riddler's malicious laughter echoed in Lois' ears as she faded into the darkness.

**B&B**

No sooner did the Batwing land than Batman stepped out of the cockpit and onto the hanger deck, headed for the Batcave. Behind him, the entrance of the hanger bay slowly slid close, covering the Batwing from prying eyes with a rocky surface that blended into the side of the mountain above where the mouth of the Batcave lay. The hanger deck--as well as the Batwing itself--was added when he and Alfred rebuilt both Wayne Manor and the Batcave after the disastrous fire that was caused by Ra's Al Ghul and his gang.

When Batman emerged in the Batcave, he saw Alfred and Rachel huddled over the main console, both intently watching a video. When she saw him approach, Rachel replayed it for him.

Batman felt a tightness of unease in his gut when he saw the image of Olivia. The woman whom Batman considered to be the sister he never had sat tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth. Her head was hung forward and her eyes closed. A purple-clad hand reached out and grabbed Olivia by her hair and lifted her head so that her face was visible. She was unconscious.

"Isn't she a cutie?!" the Joker asked, as his ghastly white face appeared next to Olivia's. "There ought to be a law against cops being this pretty, don't cha think, Bats? But then again, I'm wasting my time drooling over the good Inspector, anyway--because Harley probably has a better chance with her than I do!"

"I wouldn't want her, anyway!" Harley called from off camera. "You know I only have eyes for you, Mister J!"

"Hush, darling," the Joker said to her. "Just keep the camera steady. I want to make sure Bats understands this next part."

The camera zoomed in on a close up of the Joker's face. "Since I don't stand a chance with the lovely Olivia Benson, there's really not much reason for me to keep her around for very long, is there? So feel free to stop by and pick her up, Bats. Just pardon my dust. It gets all over, you know!"

"Is that the entire video?" Batman asked, when it was over.

"Indeed it is, sir," Alfred said.

Batman turned on the video again, but this time, he carefully watched the black background behind Olivia and the Joker. "Have you run any scans on this, yet?"

"We have, sir," Alfred replied. He pointed at the darkness that lay beyond the bound Olivia. "That's a just black curtain behind her."

Batman nodded. "Where is this site being hosted from?"

"The URL changes every time you go on it," Rachel said. "I only found it by accident, when I put the Joker's name into a search engine. I wanted to try and get as much information about him as I could, in case you needed it--instead I found this. It's very likely he's bouncing this site from one server to another all over the world."

"So we can't trace it online," Batman said with a curt nod.

Rachel sat back in the chair and watched the video again thoughtfully. Barefoot, she wore a pair of jeans with a Gotham City University sweatshirt, and had her hair pulled back into a ponytail, looking for all the world like a college student with her glasses on, rather than the current Acting District Attorney. "Alfred and I have been going at it for the last half hour," she said. "But we still don't know what he meant with that 'dust' comment at the end."

"I do," Batman said. He told them about the red clay that was scattered all over the floor of Olivia and Alex's home, which led to him finding the tile factory. "From the looks of it now, it appears that Joker deliberately spread the red clay all over the floor, just so I would figure out where he's got the girls."

Rachel stared up at him with alarm. "He's leading you right into a trap!"

"It would appear so," Batman said grimly.

Rachel stood up and grabbed his arm. "You're not going to go, are you?"

"What choice do I have?" he asked softly. "The lives of a little girl and two women count on me."

"I hate to say this, but you don't know if they're even still alive," Rachel whispered.

"I know the Joker, Rachel, and trust me--they're still alive," Batman told her. "It's up to me to get them back safely."

"The Batmobile is ready for you, sir," Alfred said.

"Thanks, Alfred," Batman said. "But I've changed my mind. Tonight, I'm taking an old friend with me."

**B&B**

"Wait a second," Kendrick muttered, as he stared down the darkened street in confusion. "I could have sworn it was down here…."

"Maybe we should go left," Armand, who was driving, suggested. "Let's recheck the GPS."

"It's an abandoned tile factory," Lenny reminded him. "It wouldn't be _on_ the GPS!"

In the backseat of the sedan, Ernie Stonefly shook his head in disgust. He glanced out the back window and saw the other cars filled with the rest of his men waiting patiently by the side of the street.

'All this firepower, primed and ready for use, and we get lost,' Ernie thought sadly. It was a good thing his Uncle Vincent--who was a made man in the Carlo Molsoni gang, back in the days when being a mobster actually meant something--wasn't around to see this favorite nephew screw up big time like this.

"I still say we should turn left," Armand muttered.

"I think it's right down this street," Kendrick said.

"How about going right?" Lenny asked. "We haven't checked that street yet, have we?"

"I don't know, I still say--"

Finally losing what little patience he had left, Ernie pulled out his Smith & Wesson and said, "Gentlemen…."

When all three men in the front seat stared back at him and the gun in alarm, Ernie said, "For the love of Christ, either you pick a god damn street within the next ten seconds, or I'm just gonna start shooting here!"

"Left, left!" Armand nervously said. "Let's go left!"

"Yeah, left sounds good," Kendrick quickly agreed.

"Left sounds great!" Lenny chimed in. "Let's go!"

Ernie holstered his gun as they got moving once more. 'By the time we finally get to the Joker's hideout, that damn clown will already be dead…of old age!'

**B&B**

Olivia gazed up with wonderment. She couldn't believe her eyes, but there he was, right before her.

Little Ryan Clifford floated before Olivia in the shaft of bright white light that shone down from above. The light created a strange ring-like effect around the boy's head, which almost made it appear as if he had a halo.

Olivia's last memory of this child was that of a body lying dead on the asphalt of a New York City bus station, his throat slit by that monster, Victor Paul Gitano. And so it was good to see him unharmed and well once more. "I'm so sorry, Ryan," Olivia said, as the guilt welled up within her like a flood. "I'm so very sorry."

Ryan floated down towards her, and she could feel such warmth and radiance emanating from him. "I know how you feel, Olivia," he assured her. "But you shouldn't feel sorry, for my death was not your fault."

Although she was gratified to hear that, Olivia began to wonder if this was a dream--for how else could she be speaking to a dead person? Unless Olivia herself was also….

"No, you're not dead," Ryan told her, as he began to rise into the light. "This is just a dream. But you must take care. For although you walk in the presence of angels in your world, you're still in the lair of the grinning demon. Your courage has never failed you before, and it won't now. So be brave, Olivia!"

He floated up into the light, until it went out.

'The grinning demon?' Olivia thought with shock. 'Of course, the Joker! I remember now, I've been captured by the Joker!'

And in that instant, Olivia had become fully awake. She glanced up at the ceiling--yet Ryan, along with the shaft of angelic light, were no longer there. Instead Olivia stared up at a vast metallic claw that held a large pile of rusted metal parts. The claw hung over a pit, which Olivia sat on the very edge of. She sat tied to a chair, and a gag was stuffed into her mouth.

Harlequin--and it _was_ Harlequin, because she was once again clad in her clownish red and black outfit, with her face painted white--came up to Olivia and smiled broadly. "Hey, Mister J," she called. "She's awake!"

Olivia's eyes grew wide with horror as the Joker slowly came walking up to her. "Good evening, Inspector," he said, in an almost casual tone. "You know, it's ironic. I recall when we first met. It was at Arkham Asylum, and it was just a brief meeting in the hallway, with me restrained in a wheelchair, but you left such an impression on me, Liv. Do you mind if I call you Liv? Feel free to just call me Joker, rather than 'Your Majesty'."

If it weren't for her gag, Olivia actually would have called him a few good curse words right now.

The Joker spread out his arms. "And here we are, meeting once again, only this time, _you're_ the one who's restrained! Isn't life crazy that way?"

Realizing that she was alone with these two maniacs, Olivia glanced around her, wondering where Alex and Barbra were. There was a black curtain set up directly behind her. Olivia hoped that they weren't here, that she was the only one whom Joker and Harley had abducted. But Olivia had a sinking feeling that Alex and Barbra had been kidnapped, as well.

"If you're looking for your Bat-buddy, don't worry, he should be stopping by some time soon," the Joker assured her. He gestured up at the huge metallic claw with the large pile of junk metal within its grasp. "As you can see, we've been planning a little welcoming surprise for him!"

As Olivia regarded this situation with renewed horror, she thought, 'Wherever Alex and Barbra are right now, I hope they're a lot better off than I am!'

**B&B**

When Barbra awoke, she thought she had fallen asleep in front of the TV again. But the floor was bare wood--not the comfortable carpeting that they had in the living room. And it was very dark. Almost too dark.

Barbra sat up with a gasp when she recalled her abduction at the hands of the Joker and his icky girlfriend. Where did they take her? And where were Olivia and Alex?

One of Barbra's questions was partially answered when she saw the prone form of Alex lying on the floor next to her. When Barbra quickly went over to her, she saw that Alex was unresponsive. She placed a hand on Alex's neck and was relieved to feel that the woman's pulse was strong and steady; she was just knocked out, that's all.

When she heard a loud chittering sound, Barbra stared wide-eyed into the surrounding darkness, where she caught a glimpse of a multitude of things slithering around. She let out a scream of horror when a rat the size of a small dog advanced towards her. Several more rats were behind it, and for a scary moment, it looked like they would all attack Barbra and Alex en mass.

But Barbra's scream must have scared them off, for they all fell back into the shadows.

Yet Barbra could still hear them all around her; a massive army of rats lurking in the darkness just beyond her sight. She sat down in a cross-legged position and placed Alex's head in her lap. "It's ok, Alex," she nervously comforted the unconscious woman. "I'll stay with you…I'll protect you…"

'But who's gonna protect _me_?!' Barbra thought fearfully.

**B&B**

Batman entered the tile factory with his guard up. Yet, after a sweep of the place, it quickly became clear to him that there was nobody here. There was a small apartment in the upstairs section that appeared to have been lived in quite recently. From the looks of things, the Joker and Harley Quinn had just abandoned it. Then Batman noticed an envelope on the kitchen table that read: "Hey Bats!"

After checking it to make sure it wasn't a booby trap, Batman opened the envelope and found a note inside, written in crayon in a childish scrawl, that read, "We're all next door having coffee, Bats! Feel free to stop by!"

'Next door' was the abandoned metal smelting plant.

'So that's where the Joker has his trap laid out,' Batman thought with a nod.

Batman grimly went over to the closed metal smelting plant. The main doors were welded shut, as were the side doors. The only entrance was the loading dock, where the door was actually left open.

'Too easy,' Batman thought. He shot a grappling line up towards the roof and entered the building through a second story window. As he emerged on a catwalk, Batman peered down and saw Olivia. She was now awake, but still tied to the chair and gagged.

Batman smiled faintly when he saw Olivia struggling furiously against her bonds. 'Always fighting, never giving up,' he thought. 'That's my girl. Hang on, Liv, I'll get you free in just a few seconds.'

Batman noted that the bound Olivia sat right next to a large pit. The Joker paced back and forth behind her, as if waiting for him to arrive. From the looks of it, the Joker intended to push the helpless Olivia into the pit the moment he caught sight of Batman.

'The timing on this will have to be perfect,' Batman thought, as he leapt from the catwalk and took flight with his bat wings extended out.

But once the Batman swung out into the air over the pit, on his way to rescue Olivia, he received a shock when Olivia saw him coming, and began to desperately shake her head 'no'.

The Joker abruptly stopped pacing and shouted: "NOW, HARLEY!!!"

And then the hammer finally fell--or, rather, it was several tons of scrap metal, which had been released from a huge metal claw just above where Batman was in mid-flight over the pit.

In a last-ditch attempt to avoid the falling metal that rained all around him, Batman dove head first straight into the pit. And as he nose-dived into an uncertain fate in the inky black below, all Batman could think of was Ra's Al Ghul's firm admonishment: "Mind your surroundings."

**B&B**

Olivia watched in horror as the mountain of metal came crashing down all around the Dark Knight. The noise was horrendously deafening; and the very concrete floor around her appeared to shudder, as if in revulsion of this terrible murder which was being committed.

When the dust had settled, Olivia looked around for the Batman, but he was nowhere to be seen. The wild, joyous screams of the Joker and Harlequin cut through the air as they turned on the overhead lights and began their vile celebration of the Batman's apparent death.

Olivia felt sick, as if she was about to throw up. But being gagged, that wasn't a very good idea, so she forced herself to push the nausea aside by breathing in deep through her nose. As she glared at the Joker and Harlequin, who kissed and hugged like a couple on a bizarre honeymoon, Olivia felt a seething hatred rise up from within her.

'You may have injured the Batman; you may have even killed him,' Olivia thought through narrowed eyes. 'But you'd better hope I never get untied from this chair, or--so help me--I will _kill _the both of you!'

**B&B**

'Something's wrong,' Clark Kent thought, as he entered Lois' hotel room. Unable to find either her or even Jimmy Olsen, he came up here to her room, only to discover the door had been left open. Lois' purse, and Jimmy's camera bag had been left here--yet there was no sign of them.

'Something's very, very wrong,' Clark thought with a frown.

Kara appeared in the doorway; she appeared frenetic. "Cuz! Check the window, right now!"

When Clark went to the glass patio doors, he saw a message that was projected in the night sky by a spotlight. 'No, it's being projected by a laser,' he realized. He read the message once more.

'For the Son Of Krypton: she uses words to express herself while he uses photographs; yet tonight, they are both silenced by me, their captor. Who am I?'

"Where's Lois and Jimmy?" Kara asked, as she glanced around the disrupted hotel room.

"They been abducted," Clark said. He gestured at the high-tech message written across the night sky. "And that's from their kidnapper, telling me that he has them."

"For what purpose?" Kara asked. "I mean, we can find him easily just by tracking where that laser is projecting from. Why would he do this?"

Clark pulled open his suit, revealing the familiar super-S insignia beneath his shirt, and said, "Let's find out, shall we?"

**B&B**

When he soared upwards to about one thousand feet, Kal-El could see where the laser projected from: an old, abandoned warehouse on the Gotham City waterfront. He hovered over the brick-lined building and scanned it with his X-ray vision--only to realize that he could not see past its walls.

Kara floated next to him, squinting in frustration. "I can't see anything inside."

"It's a very old building," Kal-El said. "It probably still has lead paint on the walls, which is what's blocking us from seeing anything."

But that brought up a new question: was this building chosen especially for the kidnapper's hideout because it _was_ lead-lined? And if so, were they expecting him and Kara?

"What are we waiting for?" Kara said. "Let get going--"

Kal-El grabbed her arm. "Hold it. You stay up here and watch."

"What?!" she cried.

"You heard me," he said sternly. "This looks like a trap. And if it is, if I don't come back out within ten minutes, I want you to go here." He gave her the address of a home in the Washington D.C. area. "When you get there, ask for Diana Prince. Tell her everything that's happened. She'll help you."

"Who's Diana Prince?" Kara asked, puzzled.

"Remember when I said that there were other super powered beings like us in the world, Kara?"

"Yeah."

Kal-El smiled. "Diana's one of them. Normally, I'd have you search out the Batman for help, since this is his turf. But I saw the Bat-signal earlier, so he might be busy with some problems of his own right now."

"I wish you'd let me come with you, Cuz," Kara said forlornly. "I want to help."

"Believe me, you are helping, Kara," Kal-El said. "I'll either see you in a little while, or I won't. If you don't see me, you know what to do."

Kal-El raised his arms in front of him and sped down towards the building like a shot.

**B&B**

Kara reluctantly watched him go, wishing she were with him--yet understanding why he'd asked her to remain behind. She couldn't help but wonder about this Diana woman. Who was she? What kind of powers did she have? Was she as powerful as she and Kal-El were? If her help wasn't needed tonight--and Kara fervently hoped it wasn't--would she ever meet her?

Kara's thoughts were shattered by a cry for help on one of the streets below her. She glanced down and was shocked to see an old man being assaulted by two young punks.

'It's always something in Gotham City,' Kara thought in exasperation, as she flew down in the middle of the fight. 'Can't wait to leave this dreadful place, with its creepy hero. God help me, but I actually miss Smallville!'

The two punks instantly ceased their attack and backed off once she arrived. 'At least they appear to be smarter than the average moron crook,' she thought. Kara turned to the old man and asked, "Are you all right, sir?"

In response, the old man opened up his coat and produced a large gun, which he shot at her.

Kara flinched as she was quickly wrapped up from head to toe in a net. "Are you guys serious?" she said with a smile. "You have any idea who--?"

She was abruptly struck with a powerful case of nausea, as the sensation of needles being stabbed into her flesh emanated from all over her body. Kara glanced closely at the net in front of her face and saw there was a shard of Kryptonite woven into it. She stared down in horror and saw more shards of the deadly glowing green rocks covering her body.

She helplessly fell to the ground as the three men loomed over her. "This…this isn't fair…"

"You're damn right it ain't fair, kid," the 'old' man said. Kara saw he was actually a younger man, once he removed his gray wig. "But for what it's worth: it's nothing personal."

"Oh, that's a helluva relief," Kara sarcastically muttered, just before she faded into unconsciousness.

**B&B**

Sometimes the best way to enter an unknown situation was head on, and so Kal-El smashed straight through the massive garage doors at full force. The warehouse was empty, save for a man seated at a table at the far end. Next to him, lying on the floor, were Lois and Jimmy. Lying side by side, they were both bound, gagged and blindfolded. From the amount of wild struggling that they were doing, they appeared to be all right.

The masked man, who wore a green suit with a bowler hat, stood up from the table, holding an ornate walking cane in one hand. "Good evening, Superman. I'm the Riddler, and I wondered what took you so--"

Kal-El never give him the chance to finish his sentence. He was on top of him in a shot. He gripped the Riddler by the collar and hauled him up off his feet. "Whatever your stupid game is, it ends now."

"Oh, I doubt that," the Riddler said, as he waved his cane in Kal-El's face. "For the night is still young, and my game is just beginning."

Kal-El's eyes grew wide when he saw the glowing green rock on top of the Riddler's cane. He felt dizzy, and as the strength began to ebb out of his body, he found that he could no longer hold the Riddler up. He dropped the Riddler to the floor and stepped back from the Kryptonite, trying not to let his growing weakness show.

Yet the Riddler smiled at him and said, "Feeling a bit off, are we?" He went back to the table, where a large covered dinner plate sat. "Why not join me in my meal?"

When the Riddler removed the cover, Kal-El was hit with even more agony once he saw the mound of glowing Kryptonite on the plate. The waves of pain were so powerful that they knocked him onto his knees. Yet as awful as he felt, Kal-El sought relief in the fact that Kara wasn't here. 'She should be getting help from Wonder Woman right about now,' he thought.

When several men approached, Kal-El glanced up and was startled to see one of them carried a prone Kara in his arms. He placed the unconscious girl on the floor beside Kal-El.

"Superb work, Rocco," the Riddler said.

The man nodded. "It was just as you figured, boss. He kept her outside as backup while he went in alone. That Kryptonite net you created worked like a charm."

"Who are you?!" Kal-El demanded, as he struggled to stay awake. "What do you want?!"

"I thought I'd already introduced myself," the Riddler said with a smug smile. "As for what I want, well, simply put: we're planning a night on the town, Superman. And we just wanted to make sure you'll stay out of our way."

With that, he gave Kal-El a sharp prod with the Kryptonite end of his cane, and despite his best efforts, Kal-El collapsed onto the floor. His last thought was a flash of concern about Lois and Jimmy--

--and then he was out.

**B&B**

"So much for the glimmer twins," Riddler said, as he gazed down at the prone forms of Superman and Supergirl. "Rocco, I want you and the others to stay behind here and make sure they're dead."

Rocco nodded. "Got it, boss."

When Lois Lane started screaming under her gag, Riddler gestured to her and Jimmy Olsen. "Remove their blindfolds. I want to make sure they can watch as their almighty heroes both succumb to the Kryptonite."

"What'll we do with the reporters once the glimmer twins are dead?" one of the men asked.

"Kill them, too," Riddler said casually. He turned to the group of men whom he dubbed the heist team. "Let's go boys! Now that there's nothing stopping us, let's get the ball rolling, shall we?"

"Aren't you forgetting about the Batman, Boss?" Rocco asked.

"On the contrary, Rocco, I'm hoping the Dark Knight shows up tonight," the Riddler said, as he flashed a grin. "Because once we set this heist in motion, then the fun will _really_ begin!"

**To Be Continued...**


	12. The Turn Of The Tide

_My thanks, as always, to Andrea and Rebelbyrdie for their support. I actually wasn't planning on updating so soon, but the massive snow storm made me change my mind. Nothing like several feet of snow to encourage you to stay inside and keep writing. :D_

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Twelve**

**"The Turn Of The Tide"**

Just as Batman dove down into the blackness of the large pit, with shards of metal raining down all around him, the night vision within his cowl kicked in, revealing a doorway in the side of the curved structure.

Shifting his wings, he aimed straight for the doorway--and nearly collided with a solid metal door that appeared out of the darkness. He pulled up sharply, landing hard on his feet while still slamming into the door with a hard grunt. With a flick of his hands, his sturdy wings reverted back into a flowing cape.

The metal that poured into the pit just behind his back sounded like all the demons of hell having been released at once. There wasn't much room for him to stand, so he hugged the door as tightly as he could while the space directly behind him quickly, and loudly, filled up.

After several seconds, the avalanche of metal behind him ceased. Glancing over his shoulder, Batman saw a wall of metal about a foot behind him, with several large shards of rusted steel blocking the way up out of the pit. Batman supposed he should be grateful that he wasn't crushed against the door by the weight of the junk that piled up behind him. This little alcove, as minimal a space as it was--about the size of a broom closet--had saved his life.

The door had a large lever for a handle. Batman gripped it with both hands and pulled as hard as he could, yet the door wouldn't budge. It appeared to be welded shut--which was a major problem, because it presently was his only way out of here. Crawling out through the pile of metal behind him was out of the question. He was trapped.

He reached into his utility belt and extracted several of the explosive capsules. They should easily blow the door open, yet the problem with these was the fact that, thanks to the cramped space, he would practically have to be standing right in front of the door while it exploded.

'Well, I _did_ harden the Batsuit,' Batman thought grimly, as he placed the capsules in place around the edge of the door. 'I guess I'll find out firsthand just how much punishment it can take.'

**B&B**

_Five Minutes Ago_

"What the--?" Alex muttered. She awoke abruptly to find herself lying on a cold floor, staring up at Barbra Gordon, who gently cradled Alex's head on her lap.

When Alex sat up, she was shocked to see that she was in a dark room with a bunch of _things _moving around in the dimness just beyond her. She let out a yelp when one of them jumped into the light and revealed itself to be a rat.

"What the hell is going on?!" Alex cried, as she pulled Barbra into a tight hug. "Are you all right?"

Barbra nodded. She looked relieved. "I'm glad you're awake."

'I wish I was still sleeping!' Alex thought--yet she kept that to herself. The last thing she remembered was watching Olivia keeping Harley Quinn at bay with a gun--until Liv's attention was diverted, and Quinn stuck a needle into Liv's neck. Before Alex could come over and help, she had been grabbed from behind by somebody and had her nose and mouth covered with a chloroform-soaked handkerchief.

"We've been abducted by the Joker, haven't we?" Alex asked with dread.

"Yes," Barbra answered in a scared whisper. "But I still don't know why."

When another rat advanced towards them, Alex made a shooing gesture at it, causing it to retreat into the shadows once more. "C'mon, honey, let's stand up," she said, pulling Barbra up to her feet. They continued to hold each other tightly as Alex glanced around the darkened room. "Where's Olivia?"

"She's not here," Barbra said. "I don't know where--"

"NOW HARLEY!" they heard a man shout from a distance.

The sound that followed was so overwhelming, Alex thought at first there was an explosion. But then she realized that it was a humongous collision of metal--no, it was actually the sound of a lot metal that was being dropped, or dumped, all at once; she could almost feel the floor beneath her feet rumble from the impact.

When it was over, Alex heard a loud cheering as the room abruptly became bathed in bright light. Alex glanced up and saw that she and Barbra were in a small storage room of some kind--one with four walls but no ceiling. The illumination came from massive lamps that hung from the ceiling about fifty feet above them, in what appeared to be a huge warehouse, or factory of some kind.

Alex shuddered when the light revealed the army of rats, which quickly scurried back into their holes in the walls. 'If nothing else, they're gone,' she thought. When she saw a door in the corner, she grabbed Barbra's hand and said, "C'mon, sweetie."

Alex placed a finger over her lips as she tip-toed over to the door with Barbra. Once they where at the door, Alex hopefully tried the knob--only to find that it was locked.

"Of course, that was too much to hope for," Alex said with a sigh as she leaned against the door.

"If it _was_ unlocked, they probably would have tied us up," Barbra said.

Alex had a frightening vision of being helplessly trussed up on the floor while the army of rats jumped all over their writhing bodies. "Just goes to show that it could always be worse," she muttered. "I just wish I knew what was going on outside this room, and where the hell is Olivia!"

Alex frowned when she saw Barbra staring very intently at something. When she glanced over where Barbra was looking, Alex noticed a pile of wooden crates that were all stacked against the wall. They were piled in a half-pyramid pattern, with the top crate sitting next to the edge of the wall. "I can do that," Barbra said confidently.

"Do what?!" Alex said, with a look of horror. "You're not thinking of climbing up there, are you?"

"It's all right, Alex, I'm a gymnast."

"I don't care if you're Kathy Rigby! You're keeping your little footsies right on the nice, solid ground, young lady! It's too dangerous."

Barbra frowned behind her glasses. "Who's Kathy Rigby?"

"Uh, somebody before your time," Alex said, as she glanced down at the ground. She suddenly felt very old. "Look, the point is--"

Barbra abruptly grabbed her hands and gave them an affectionate squeeze. "Alex, I can do this. Trust me."

Before Alex could further protest, she was horrified to see that Barbra had broken into a run towards the pile of wooden crates that had been stacked up against the wall. The girl deftly scampered up the crates, and then paused at the top, swinging her arms out into a classic gymnast pose, as if on a balance beam. From where she stood, Barbra could easily peer over the top of the wall.

She turned to glance down at Alex and whispered, "I can see Olivia. They got her tied to a chair."

Alex stood on tiptoe and tried frantically to reach for the girl. "Just get back down here before they see you," she hissed.

"There's another pile of boxes on the other side," Barbra told her. "I can get down from there and open the door on the other side."

"Barbra, no, come back down right now!" Alex whispered. "Barb, don't you dare go over there! If you do, you're, uh…you're grounded, young lady!"

Barbra simply smiled warmly at her. "See you on the other side, Alex."

Alex watched, stunned, as Barbra expertly did a somersault over the top of the wall.

'She didn't listen to a word I said!' Alex thought. She and Olivia had often discussed the possibility of having children--yet until now, Alex had no idea how hard they were to control.

'I'd suck at being a parent,' she miserably thought.

When there was a light tap at the door, Alex placed her ear against it and said, in the faintest whisper: "Barbra?"

"Yes, it's me," Barbra whispered back. She sounded alarmed. "There's a padlock on this side of the door, Alex. I can't open it. I'd need a key!"

Alex stared at the pile of crates with a critical eye. 'I'm not gymnast, but I think I could climb over that pretty easily,' she realized. 'How hard could it be?'

"Wait there, Barbra," she whispered back. "I'm coming over." When there was no answer, she said, "Barbra, are you there? Barbra?"

'Oh, Christ, where's that kid now?' Alex thought, as she anxiously began to climb the boxes. 'If this is what's being a parent is like, then maybe Liv and I should just get a dog!'

**B&B**

_Five Minutes Ago_

"Perfect, just perfect," Ernie Stonefly said, as he stared at the empty tile factory. Just as he feared, the Joker had left his hideout before they arrived. His men, who had just done an armed sweep of the place, all stood around with sheepish expressions on their faces.

But nobody looked more embarrassed than Kendrick and Lenny, the two baboons who dragged all of them here on this wild goose chase. Ernie thought seriously about putting a bullet into the both of them and cutting his losses. Tonight the Riddler was leading the rest of the gang in pulling the biggest heist since the Lufthansa job, and even though he was assured a piece of the action, Ernie still very much wanted to be in on it.

Yet before he could even pull out his gun, the silence was shattered by a tremendous roaring sound.

"Ho!" Armand said, his eyes wide. "Y'hear this, boss?"

"How could I not?!" Ernie shouted over the racket, which sounded like an earthquake.

Just as abruptly as it started, the noise ended. "The hell was that?" Ernie asked.

One of his men poked his head in from outside. "It came from the old smelting plant just across the way, Boss!"

"Well, well, maybe we didn't miss the party after all, boys," Ernie said with a smile.

**B&B**

'Oh God, Bruce,' Olivia thought, as he helplessly stared at the large pile of metal that had accumulated in the pit right in front of her. 'Please, be all right! Please be safe!'

With a muffled snarl from under her gag, Olivia tried struggling once more against her bonds, which restrained her to a chair. She paused to hatefully watch as the Joker carried Harley off in his arms, as if they were frigging newlyweds on their honeymoon.

Olivia resumed her fruitless struggling against the ropes, until she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She glanced over her shoulder and was stunned to see Barbra Gordon standing behind her.

Barbra pulled down Olivia's gag and said, "It's ok, Liv. I'll get you loose."

"No, wait," Olivia said, as Barbra bent down to untie her hands. "Barbra, just go; get out of here, now."

"Just let me get you free, first," Barbra said. "Then we can help Alex."

"You saw Alex?" Olivia asked, startled. "How is she?"

"She's ok. We were in a locked storage room. I got out by climbing through the ceiling. I mean," she amended, "the room had no ceiling, so I just climbed over the wall. There's a padlock on the door, which I need the key for."

Olivia let out a sigh of relief once her hands were free of the ropes. She bent forward in the chair and quickly untied her feet. When she was finally free of the chair, she stood up and said, "All right, let's get Alex and--"

When Olivia glanced back at Barbra, she froze in terror at the sight that greeted her.

The Joker stood there, holding a frightened Barbra up against his body, with the gleaming blade of a knife stuck against her throat. "Going somewhere, Inspector Benson?" he asked, his death's head grin leering at her.

Olivia reeled back in horror, as the memory of that terrible day in the bus station came rushing back to her. Victor Paul Gitano had stood before Olivia, while he held little Rebecca Clifford up against him with a knife at her throat, as well. And although it involved two different people in a different place, that very same scene had been reenacted right here before Olivia's eyes.

"Not again," Olivia whimpered.

Olivia had hesitated, and that slight pause on her part had enabled Gitano to slash her, which led to that bastard ultimately killing Ryan Clifford. And it was all because Olivia had hesitated.

She…had…hesitated.

"Not again," Olivia repeated, this time more firmly.

"I beg your pardon, Inspector?" the Joker asked.

"I said, not again," Olivia told him, her voice rising. "Do you hear me, you sick bastard? I'm not letting you hurt these poor kids again!"

The Joker's grin actually faded slightly, as he stared at her in puzzlement. "What the hell are you talking about, Benson?"

And for the first time in Olivia's life, it actually happened.

She snapped.

"_NOT AGAIN_!" Olivia screamed, as she lunged straight at the Joker in a full-bore, berserker rage.

**B&B**

'Oh my God!' Barbra thought, as she watched Olivia come right at her.

The Joker, surprised by Olivia's abrupt attack, quickly removed the knife from Barbra's throat and held it up at Olivia. Barbra used the split second of confusion to duck down and hit the floor, where she rolled several feet out of the way of the confrontation.

She sat up on the floor and stared in awe as Olivia slugged the Joker hard across the face, knocking the Clown Prince Of Crime down to the ground, where he lost his grip on the knife. Before he could even respond, Olivia kicked the Joker in the stomach, and then she punched him once more in the face, never giving him a moment to recover--all the while, she kept saying, over and over, "Not again!"

The Joker kept backing away, inadvertently leading Olivia over to one of the empty smelting pits.

Barbra was about to call out a warning to Olivia when she was distracted by a low rumbling sound from the pit nearest to her, the one filled with junk. It sounded like an explosion underneath all that wreckage. She watched, wide-eyed, as the pile of metal--disturbed by the explosion--began to shift and collapse in on itself.

"Don't worry, pudding!" Harlequin called, as she ran over to the Joker and Olivia. She held a wooden baseball bat in her hands. "I'll help ya!"

Barbra stood up and shouted, "_OLIVIA, BEHIND YOU_!"

Harlequin stopped and glared at Barbra with pure malice. "We should have killed you earlier, you little brat!"

Barbra let out a scream of terror as Harlequin came at her with the baseball bat raised above her head.

Alex suddenly appeared from behind Harlequin and snatched the bat from her hands.

"I'm really getting goddamned sick of you," Alex muttered with disgust to Harlequin.

When Harlequin made a motion to attack her, Alex stopped her short by poking the end of the bat sharply into Harlequin's stomach. Once Harlequin doubled over in pain, Alex knocked her down with a punch to the head, which caused Harlequin to collapse in a heap on the floor.

Alex knelt down to Barbra with a look of concern and asked, "Are you all right?"

Barbra ran into her arms. And as she embraced Alex tightly, Barbra's eyes grew wide with horror as she stared at something over Alex's shoulder.

The Joker had Olivia lying on the ground, and he was advancing towards her with a knife raised up in his hands.

"_OLIVIA_!" Barbra screamed.

**B&B**

_Thirty Seconds Earlier_

"Not again, not again, not again," Olivia snarled, over and over; every time she punched the Joker. But she wasn't just plummeting the Joker, she was punching every psychopath, every sociopath and every sexual deviant whom she had come across in her years as an SVU detective. The Joker had become the target of the pent up rage that Olivia had built up against these vicious animals.

Olivia wasn't even aware of where she was until she heard Barbra Gordon cry out: "_OLIVIA, BEHIND YOU_!"

She stopped her assault on the Joker long enough to glance behind her. She saw the Harlequin, armed with a baseball bat, turn around and advance towards a helpless Barbra in a threatening manner.

Before she could do anything, Olivia was struck from behind, the force of the blow knocking her to the concrete ground. She looked up in a fog of pain and saw the Joker standing over her, once more holding the knife in his hand.

The rage in his eyes was unmistakable as the Joker said, "Now the fun is just beginning, bitch."

"_OLIVIA_!" Barbra screamed from far off.

Then Joker raised the knife and, with wild-eyed maniacal glee, charged towards her.

Olivia's own eyes went wide when she saw a dark shape arise from behind the Joker. The shadowy figure that loomed behind the Clown Prince Of Crime had a pair of pointy ears on its head.

"You really want to have fun?" a cold, stark voice asked. "Then why don't you play with me?"

The Joker stopped dead in his tracks, and for a split second, Olivia saw something on his face that she had never seen before.

It was pure terror.

The Joker abruptly swung around and attacked the Batman with the knife, but the Dark Knight easily blocked his killing blow. For a brief moment, both of them stood like this, with their hands raised, locked in a mortal combat stance.

"Why won't you stay dead, damn you?!" the Joker raged.

"Life's a bitch, ain't it?" the Batman said, with just the slightest of smirks.

Letting out a howl of anger, the Joker shoved Batman away and ran towards a staircase.

Batman glanced down at Olivia with concern. "Are you all right?"

"Much better, now that you're here," she said gratefully.

"I'm taking that crazy son of a bitch down once and for all tonight," he firmly told Olivia, as he helped her to her feet. "So don't wait for me. You, Alex and Barbra get out of here now. The police are coming."

Batman pulled out a grappling gun and fired a line into the steel support of the ceiling. As the Joker made his way to a catwalk, the Batman took flight, his cape spread out, and landed on the catwalk--causing the Clown Prince Of Crime to let out another outraged howl once his escape route was blocked by the Dark Knight.

Alex and Barbra both came over to Olivia and hugged her tightly at the same time. Alex broke their embrace to give her lover the once over for any wounds while Barbra continued to tightly hug Olivia's waist.

"You ok?" Alex asked.

"Believe me, hon, I feel great right now," Olivia said with a broad smile. "Are you two all right?"

"Yes," Alex said. She did a double take when she glanced down at Barbra.

Barbra, who still had her arms around Olivia's waist, now stared up at something in complete awe.

When Olivia glanced up, she immediately saw what it was. The Batman and the Joker were having a knock-down, dragged-out battle on the catwalk. It was indeed an awesome sight to behold, as well as being extremely frightening to watch.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here. Batman told me the police were coming. We've got to--"

Olivia, Alex and Barbra all stopped short at the sight of the group of well-armed men who stood before them. Olivia could tell right away that these weren't cops. They all had the ruthless, tough as nails attitude of mob lackeys.

One of them men stepped forward and said, "Good evening, ladies. My name is Ernest Stonefly." He looked up over the women's heads and smiled. "There they are, boys: Batman and the Joker. You know what to do!"

"Light 'em up!" one of the other men shouted, as all of the men raised their automatic weapons and opened fire right over the heads of Olivia, Alex and Barbra.

"_GET DOWN_!" Olivia cried, as she shoved Alex and Barbra behind the safety of a steel support beam.

As all three women huddled together under the withering gun fire that erupted all around them, Olivia thought, 'Sweet Jesus, talk about going from the frying pan and into the fire!'

**B&B**

_Five Minutes Earlier_

When Batman dropped down on the catwalk right in front of the Joker, the Clown Prince Of Crime let out another howl of rage. "You are really getting on my nerves, Bats!" he said through clenched teeth. "You've got me positively beside myself!"

"Good," Batman replied. He had already palmed a Batdart in his hand, ready to throw, and was glad he did. While the Joker had ranted at him, one of his hands discreetly reached into his purple jacket.

Batman threw the dart just as Joker pulled out the gun--it was the same gun he'd shot at him before: the colorful, toy-like .44 magnum that ruined the chest plate of his Batsuit. Before Joker could take aim with it, the Batdart found its target and embedded itself within the Joker's gun hand.

The Joker let out a sharp roar of pain as he inadvertently dropped the gun; it fell into the blackness of the empty smelting pit that the catwalk stretched over.

The Joker charged right at the Batman, who belted him hard in the face. Yet the Clown Prince Of Crime kept coming. He wrapped his hands around Batman's neck.

"I don't need a gun to kill you," the Joker growled.

Batman broke the Joker's stranglehold on him with a kick to the stomach. The Joker fell back, and then attacked him yet again. Batman abruptly sidestepped and shoved him into the railing.

"What the matter Joker? Getting tired?" Batman taunted. "That's understandable, since Olivia gave you a pretty good work over even before I did."

The Joker, enraged beyond what even Batman thought was possible, let out another wild scream of fury.

Batman tensed, readying himself for the next assault--until he heard a man shout: "Light 'em up!"

He glanced down at the row of well-armed goons--all of whom were aiming automatic weapons right at him. Batman barely had a moment to dive off the catwalk just before they all opened fire.

The Joker, however, was not so lucky. The catwalk, completely obliterated under the withering gunfire, fell apart. As the Batman swung open his batwings and flew into the safety shadows, he watched as the Joker fell silently several stories into the blackness of the vast smelting pit below.

It was a fall that would kill anybody--but the Joker wasn't just anybody. Until Batman saw his corpse, he would never assume the Clown Prince Of Crime was dead.

'But right now, we've got bigger problems,' Batman thought, as he turned his attention to the mob gunmen.

**B&B**

'Is it over?' Barbra thought hopefully, when the gunfire had ceased. Her ears were ringing relentlessly.

She was nestled so tightly against Olivia that Barbra could hear the rapid beating of Olivia's heart. They all sat against the base of the steel support beam, with Olivia in the center and both Barbra and Alex huddled up against her.

"Ok," Olivia whispered to the both of them. "Let's see if we can't get out of here before they--"

Yet her plan was stillborn as one of the gangsters came around the support beam and smiled down at them. "Here they are, boss!" he called.

The man who introduced himself as Ernest Stonefly strolled over to them. He was dialing a cell phone.

"What'll we do with them?" one of the men asked.

"That's what I'm going to find out," Stonefly said, as he placed the phone to his ear.

**B&B**

The Riddler and the heist team arrived at the loading dock area in the back of the Science Exhibition building. He sat back in the car and waited while a small detachment of his team were sent ahead to deal with the rent-a-cops who were guarding the loading bay.

When his cell phone rang, the Riddler glanced at the ID screen, first. Seeing that it was Ernie Stonefly, he answered the call. "Yes, Ernie? I hope you have good news for me."

"That I do, boss," Ernie replied. "Both the Joker and the Batman are dead. We just shot them down like dogs."

"Superb work, Ernie!" the Riddler said with a smile. "Now that you're done, you and your boys can serve as back up for the heist team."

"Just one thing, Riddler," Ernie said. "We've got three women here--actually, two women and a little girl. What do you want us to do with them?"

"Kill them all," the Riddler said without hesitation. "And, Ernie, no further phone calls from this point on, please. I'll be rather busy."

"You got it, Riddler!"

The Riddler put away his cell phone and watched with satisfaction as the men he'd sent to dispatch the security guards on the dock did their jobs with ruthless efficiency. When the 'all clear' signal was given, the Riddler and his remaining boys got out of their cars and all walked towards the building. 'Our second visit to the science exhibition in as many nights,' the Riddler thought with a smile. 'But it will be our last visit, for the endgame is finally about to begin.'

"Leave all the loading dock doors wide open," he commanded, before entering the building. "We've got a massive load coming out, boys!"

**B&B**

Barbra watched fearfully as Stonefly put away his cell phone. One of the other gangsters asked the question that was burning in her mind: "What did he say, boss?"

"The Riddler said to kill 'em all," Stonefly said, with a nod at Barbra. "Sorry, ladies, but that's the way the cookie crumbles."

"You mean you're going to kill a little girl?" Olivia said with disgust. She drew Barbra close to her in a protective hug. "Look, I'm Inspector Benson, of the Gotham City Police. Why not just let the kid and this woman go, and you can do whatever you want with me, huh?"

"Maybe we could do whatever we want with _all_ of them before killing them, huh, boss?" one of them men asked with a lustful look.

Stonefly smiled as he mused over the idea. Yet before he could reply, they were all startled by an unearthly voice that echoed throughout the abandoned factory: "A bunch of big, bad men like yourselves all ganging up on those women--that's not very fair."

The gangsters all quickly pulled out their guns as they spread out from the support beam, searching for the source of that inhuman voice.

Barbra, scared out of her wits by a situation that only appeared to get worse by the second, shivered with fear--until Olivia's hand gently rubbed her shoulder, calming her. She glanced up and saw Olivia was smiling broadly down at her.

"Did these flaming idiots really think they could kill the Batman?" she asked Barbra.

"Oh, Christ, are these guys in trouble!" Alex muttered under her breath. "I'm glad I'm not them right now."

Stonefly, who stood the closest to them, reacted to this with wide-eyed alarm.

"Why don't I even the odds?" that unnerving voice said--it sounded like it was from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

With that, one of the men let out a scream of terror as something grabbed him from behind and pulled him into the shadows. All that was let of him was his gun, which clattered to the concrete floor after his disappearance.

"Larry!" Stonefly cried. "Where the hell did Larry go?!"

In the opposite direction, another man's startled yell was cut short as he, too, was dragged into the darkness that lay beyond the lights.

"He's not human," one of the remaining gangsters fearfully cried. "We should have known better than to mess with him!"

"Shut up, Armand!" Stonefly growled. "Everybody just keep your eyes open, and your fingers on the triggers!"

Olivia grabbed Barbra's hand and whispered, "Be ready to run when I give the word."

'Run?!' Barbra thought in a panic. She was so frightened right now, she could barely even breathe!

"Our bullets probably went right through him," Armand continued babbling. "He's probably a phantom, or a demon straight out of hell!"

"Damn it, Armand, shut up!" Stonefly screamed.

The gangsters were all stunned when Armand abruptly let out a bloodcurdling cry--Barbra turned and saw Armand was also pulled into the darkness by an unseen force.

"Batman!" Stonefly shouted at the ceiling. "If you're so tough, why don't you come out and fight like a man?!"

"Ok, they're no longer paying attention to us," Olivia whispered. "Let's go!"

Barbra somehow forced her legs to move, and she ran with Olivia and Alex behind a row of large wooden crates. Once they were safely huddled down, Alex asked, "So what do we do now?"

"Enjoy the show," Olivia said with a smile.

When Barbra heard one of the gangsters let out a scream of terror, she glanced up and saw one of the most stunning sights she had ever seen.

The Batman leapt down from the ceiling, his cape unfurled like a pair of bat wings, and landed right on top of the crowd of gangsters. What followed was a scene straight out of hell, as grown men were reduced to blubbering like babies at the sight of this demonic entity, which hunted each of them down like helpless sheep. The men who tried to put up a fight were effortlessly taken out by Batman's unnatural combat skills.

'He uses fear as a weapon,' Barbra realized, as she watched Batman with awe. She was stunned at the proficient, yet majestic manner in which he fought, easily taking on two or three men at the same time. With his black suit and cape, she could easily see why he was called a Dark Knight.

'But just like a true knight, Batman has a chivalrous heart,' she thought. 'I was wrong about him; he's a real warrior for justice, in the finest sense of that term!'

And as she continued to watch the awesome sight of Batman in action, for the first time in her young life, Barbra Gordon fell madly in love.

**B&B**

Olivia was startled when she saw Barbra abruptly stand up from behind the safety of the crates they were hiding behind.

"What are you doing?" she cried, as she grabbed Barbra and pulled her back down. "Stay down!"

"But he's gorgeous!" Barbra screamed, with all the fevered ecstasy of a fan at a boy band concert. Even while hunched down behind the crate, she never took her eyes off the battle that raged before them. "I must see him…I must keep watching him…just in case he needs my help!"

Olivia was unsure of whom Barbra meant--until it hit her. "You mean the Batman?"

"Of course I mean the Batman," Barbra said dreamily. "Isn't he wonderful?"

Olivia and Alex shared a puzzled look behind Barbra's back.

"I thought she hated him," Alex whispered.

Olivia just shrugged. "So did I."

"Batman, look out!" Barbra shrieked, as she abruptly tried to climb over the crates. It took both Olivia and Alex to pull her back to safety.

"What's the matter with you?" Olivia chided her.

"Batman's in trouble!" Barbra cried.

"Actually, she's right, Liv," Alex said, as she pointed at a second squad of goons who entered the smelting plant. "They've called in reinforcements. Who are these guys, anyway?!"

"They're working for the Riddler," Olivia said. "I overheard Stonefly talking to him on the phone. I guess the Riddler's finally making his move tonight."

The Batman, who now stood in the center of a field of unconscious gangsters, took notice of the new arrivals and fired a grappling line into the ceiling. Once it took hold, he took flight, swinging over to where Olivia, Alex and Barbra were hiding. He took cover behind the steel support column just as the second squad of goons opened up on him with their guns.

Batman raised his left wrist to his face and said, "Come here."

"You're calling the Batwing?" Olivia said from behind the crate. "How will it get in? There are no windows!"

"It's not the Batwing," Batman said, with a slight smile. "I've just called an old friend for help."

Olivia was startled to see the massive garage door was suddenly smashed inwards by a large, black monster. The second squad of goons all turned their attention, and their guns, towards this new threat, which turned on a dime and roared straight at them.

When Olivia recognized the vehicle, she let out a joyous laugh. "It's the Tumbler!"

Twice the size of the Batmobile, with far heavier armor, the Tumbler was the closest thing to a tank in Batman's arsenal. Loaded with a six tires--a set of four massive truck tires arranged two by two in the rear, with two slightly smaller tires in front--it was also unusually nimble for a vehicle of its bulk and size. Because of this, it was nearly right on top of the second squad of goons before they could even open fire. They all ducked out of the way as the Tumbler careened past them, heading for its master.

The Tumbler came to a stop right in front of the Batman. Once he opened its roof, he turned to Olivia, Alex and Barbra and said, "Ladies, your ride awaits."

"C'mon, honey," Olivia said, taking Barbra by the hand.

When Olivia led Barbra up to the Batman, he lifted Barbra up and placed her into the Tumbler. Olivia and Alex climbed inside, followed by the Batman, who sat in the driver's seat. Olivia and Alex sat side by side in the spacious passenger seat with Barbra squeezed in-between them.

The Batman took the controls of the Tumbler and drove it straight through the second group of goons. This time, some of them were shooting--what little good that did, because the bullets merely bounced harmlessly off the Tumbler's thick, armored skin. They dived out of the way yet again as the Tumbler shot past them at full speed.

"More of the Riddler's men," Batman said grimly. "Looks like he wanted to make sure we were dead for good."

"Yeah, they are working for the Riddler," Olivia confirmed. "I overheard the leader calling him, asking what he should do with us. The bastard told him to kill us all!" She glanced at Batman with confusion. "But how did you know they were the Riddler's men?"

"Because the Riddler took over Boss Thorne's old gang," the Batman said, as he drove them clear of the smelting plant. "And I recognized their leader as Ernie Stonefly, who was a captain in the Thorne gang. It looks like our riddle-loving friend is no longer content with hiding in the shadows anymore. He's making some pretty bold moves, tonight."

When they saw flashing emergency lights down the road, Batman brought the Tumbler to a halt by the side of the street, just as a figure appeared, waving his hands. It was Comissioner Gordon.

"It's your dad, Barbra!" Olivia said with a big grin.

Yet Barbra ignored her as she stared intently at the Batman. "I love you!" she blurted out.

Batman did a double take at her as he opened the roof of the Tumbler. "Uh, yeah…thanks. Here, let's get you back together with your dad…."

Olivia stood up in the opened compartment of the Tumbler and watched, teary-eyed, as Gordon and his daughter embraced each other tightly. Barbra's legs were also wrapped around her father as well as her arms. While Barbra still clung to him, Gordon reached out and gripped Batman's hand firmly in his own. "Thank you, Batman. Thank you so much."

"All in a night's work," the Batman said modestly. "There's a bunch of goons at the old smelting plant right now. They're working for the Riddler. Harlequin is also there, still unconscious, last time I saw her."

"We've got the area surrounded," Gordon said. He glanced at Harvey Bullock with a nod. "Send them in. Hit the smelting plant."

Bullock placed a police radio to his mouth and said, "All units, suspects are in the smelting plant. Move in! All units move in on the smelting plant now! Go, go, go!"

Once he said that, all of the police cars that sat behind them went screeching down the road towards the smelting plant. Several armored cars, loaded with heavily-armed SWAT teams, were also in the convoy.

"What about the Joker?" Gordon asked.

"The Riddler's men opened fire on us while we were fighting on a catwalk," Batman explained. "I managed to get away, obviously. But the Joker fell several stories when the catwalk collapsed under the heavy firepower."

Bullock grinned broadly as he let out a snort. "Sounds like that clown is a pancake! Good riddance to him!"

But despite Bullock's glee, Olivia saw that the Batman and Commissioner Gordon didn't share in his celebrating; in fact, they both appeared solemn.

"You don't really believe he's dead, do you?" Olivia asked Batman.

"Let's just say I'll believe it when I see his corpse on an autopsy table," Batman bluntly told her. "And even then, I'd still be on guard."

"Commissioner, we're getting reports of a break-in at the Science Exhibit," Renee said, as she came up to them. She smiled broadly at Olivia. "Hey Liv, Alex. It's so good to see you guys."

"The feeling's mutual, believe me," Olivia sincerely said.

"Another robbery attempt at the Science Exhibit?!" Gordon said with a frown. "That's the second attempt in as many nights. The Kryptonite's been removed from there, hasn't it?"

"Yes, by me," Batman confirmed.

"Speaking of Kryptonite, there's recently been a report from Metroplis that says Star Labs was broken into," Harvey said. "And whoever broke in stole some of the glowing green rocks."

"I wonder if it has anything to do with that weird message earlier," Renee said.

"What message?" Batman asked.

When Renee explained that, earlier in the evening, there was a laser-projected message in the night sky, addressed to the 'Last Son Of Krpyton', Olivia felt a chill run up her back. She glanced at Alex and said, "I've got a sinking feeling that this night isn't over."

**B&B**

Once the Riddler was seated within the cockpit of the Submersible Construction Drone, he checked all of his readouts--which were designed to simulate video game controls for simplicity--and was pleased to see that everything was in the clear. He glanced out the glass view port, at the other SCDs, which were all in a massive diorama display in the science exhibit that showed them at work on the ocean floor. It was truly a marvelous, life-sized diorama, with a realistic rocky ocean surface and special blue lighting that was designed to give the appearance of seeing these machines underwater. The Riddler almost hated to wreck it, but it couldn't be helped. He was just minutes away from becoming a billionaire.

He keyed in his comm device, and said, "Everyone, report power status."

When the drivers of the other eleven SCDs reported back as fully being charged, the Riddler grinned broadly. 'Oh, how this night will be glorious, and easy!' he thought. 'After all, why bother trying to crack a safe's combination when you can simply rip the vault door right off its hinges?'

"Gentlemen," he said over the comm, "start your engines…"

**B&B**

Kate was startled when she got out of the patrol car with her partner, Chuck. The burglar alarm was still ringing loudly as they cautiously walked up to the Science Exhibit building. They were in the back of the building, near the loading docks, and Kate noticed that all the doors were left wide open. There was also no sign of the security guards.

Kate glanced anxiously at Chuck. Although she was a rookie, having been on the Job for only eight months, she didn't have to be an 18 year veteran like her partner to know something was seriously wrong here.

They both pulled out their guns, ran up to one of the loading bay doorways, and peered inside. It was dark.

But it wasn't quiet.

There was a stomping sound that grew louder, and as she heard it, Kate could swear she felt the ground tremble under her feet.

"What do you think it is?" she asked Chuck.

"Sounds like something very bad," Chuck replied, as the stomping grew even louder. "C'mon, let's wait for back-up at the car."

Just when they were halfway back to their patrol car, Kate heard a loud screeching of metal from behind her. When she looked to see what it was, Kate was stunned beyond belief.

A giant metallic monster was walking out one of the loading bay doors on all fours, like a weird spider. Once the monster was clear of the building, it stood up on two legs, while the other legs swung down to its sides and became arms with claws. There was a clear glass sphere in the center of the beast, and within this sat a man in a green suit and a bowler hat.

And he was grinning from ear to ear.

Kate dived out of the way just as one mechanical claw stomped on the ground where she had just been standing. The mechanical monster now chased Chuck, who got into the patrol car.

"Chuck, look out!" Kate cried.

But it was too late, as the mechanical monster--which was three times the size of the patrol car--grabbed one end of the vehicle and flung it away with both arms. Kate watched in horror as the patrol car flipped over and smashed into a concrete wall on the other side of the parking lot.

And just when she thought it couldn't get any more worse than this, Kate watched in wide-eyed terror as several more mechanical monsters came out of the loading dock doors. When she heard police sirens, Kate could only stand by helplessly as the army of mechanical monsters attacked the fleet of police cars which had arrived to back them up. Instead, they became victims as the mechanical monsters knocked their cars aside as if they were toys.

Kate flinched when one of the mechanical monsters paused right before her. The man in the glass sphere, sitting in which appeared to be a pilot's seat with the controls on his lap, regarded her coldly.

Kate did the only thing she could do. She pulled out her gun and aimed it at the man. She got off three rounds before she realized her gun had no effect. The man in the sphere laughed at her, and then he piloted his mechanical monster to walk right past Kate, ignoring her.

She realized that he ignored her because she wasn't a threat to him.

Kate, feeling completely useless, simply stared in shock at the shattered police cars which lay all around her. One of them still had its emergency lights running. Kate pulled out her police radio and called in a multiple 'Officer Down' alert to dispatch. Once she received acknowledgement from dispatch that help was on the way, Kate put her radio away and watched as the army of robots made their way down the street at a leisurely pace. 'No wonder they can take their time,' she anxiously thought. 'Because who the hell can possibly stop these guys?!'

**To Be Continued...**


	13. Gotham City Under Siege

_Once again, I give my thanks to Andrea and Rebelbyrdie for their wonderful support. Another week of crappy weather has kept me indoors, and so I got this chapter finished. I guess it's a good thing I don't live on a tropical island, or else I would never get any writing done. :)_

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Thirteen**

**"Gotham City Under Seige"**

When the Tumbler pulled into the Batcave, Olivia glanced out the passenger window and was surprised to see Rachel Dawes standing beside the platform. Barefoot, and casually clad in jeans with a sweatshirt, she almost looked like a hippie hitchhiker. When Batman opened the roof of the Tumbler, Rachel stood bouncing excitedly up and down while Olivia and Alex climbed out of the car. Then she ran up and pulled both women into a group hug.

"It's great to see you!" Rachel said. "Are you guys all right?"

"We're fine," Alex replied with a smile as they broke their embrace. "But I've gotta say, Rachel: in all my years as working as an ADA in New York, I've never had a boss hug me the way you just did right now."

"If any of them did, they'd be brought up on charges," Olivia retorted. She was momentarily disoriented when the platform the Tumbler was parked on slowly began to rotate so that the vehicle would be facing out once again.

She walked over to the other side, and found Alfred standing on the steps that led to the main platform of the Batcave.

"Hey, Alfred, it's--" Olivia started to say, until the butler came over and embraced her warmly. Olivia was so touched by this display of affection that it brought her to tears. "Oh, Alfred…."

While still holding Olivia close to him in one arm, Alfred reached out and embraced Alex with the other. "It's so good having all of my girls home safe and sound again," he said with genuine thankfulness. "Although I fear the horrid events of this night are far from over."

"Indeed," Batman said grimly. "You have the footage of the Riddler's message to Superman ready?"

"Yes sir, but it's more than that," Alfred said. "I'm afraid the situation has become far more dire since your return."

"He means the army of killer robots," Rachel said.

Olivia, Alex and the Batman each gave Rachel a double take of disbelief.

"The killer _what_?!" Batman asked incredulously.

"Perhaps it's best if we show you," Alfred said.

**B&B**

"Hey, he did it!" Rocco called to the others.

The miniature TV set on the table had a live feed from the local news, which showed the army of SCDs moving down the street with military precision. As they watched the giant robots stomp, kick or throw aside every obstacle that tried to stop them, Rocco and the boys began cheering like a group of sport fans enjoying a particularly hellacious football game.

"Damn, this is great!" Vinnie said. "Hey, Rocco, why don't we just kill the reporters and get in on the fun?"

"Because the Riddler wants them dead only after the super twins buy it," Rocco told him. He gestured at the prone Superman and Supergirl, who lay groaning on the floor before them. "And they ain't dead yet."

"Yeah, but who's to know?" Vinnie asked. "Let's just whack the reporters now, and leave Superman and the kid to croak by themselves."

There was a muffled cry of outrage from behind them. Rocco turned to see Lois Lane, who was bound and gagged with Jimmy Olsen, sitting up and glaring at them indignantly. 'She sure is a feisty one,' Rocco thought.

"Sounds like a good idea, Rocco," Marvin chimed in. "I mean, thanks to the glowing green rocks, the super twins are gonna die anyway."

"And what if they don't?" Rocco asked him. "What if we do as you say, and kill the reporters and leave--and then, somehow, Superman and Supergirl manage to survive? Then we'd have a pretty pissed off Man Of Steel looking for us."

When the rest of the gang grew uncomfortably silent at that thought, Rocco added, "Look, I think we can all agree that the Riddler is a genius, right?" He pointed at the action on the TV. "I mean, we can see his plan is working, correct?"

The boys all nodded in agreement.

"Then it stands to reason that we should follow the Riddler's orders to the last detail," Rocco told them. "Even if that means missing out on some of the fun. The glimmer twins ain't going to last long, anyway--we might as well hang around and make sure they're history."

Lois Lane let out another outraged cry from under her gag as she and Olsen both tried to frantically work themselves free.

"Don't worry, honey," Rocco promised her. "When it comes time to kill you, I'll do ya quick and painless."

Lane just stared back at him with a mixture of horror and fury.

**B&B**

Batman sat at the main console in the Batcave, watching the live news feed of this unexpected armored assault on Gotham City. Olivia, Alex, Rachel and Alfred all huddled around him, their attention also dominated by the events on the TV. As he watched, Batman quickly made a threat assessment of this new enemy. The armored vehicles were giant clear domes that rode on four legs. They had the option of traveling either on all fours, or they could stand up on two legs, using the other two legs as arms with claws. The pilot's seat within the dome pivoted so that he always had a clear view no matter what position the vehicle was in. It was an ingenious design, and if they weren't causing so much pain and destruction, Batman would have admired these machines for their engineering efficiency. The news reporter, who was riding with the cameraman in a helicopter, was babbling wildly, almost to the point where he wasn't making much sense.

"What do we know about these things?" Batman asked.

"They're Submersible Construction Drones, or SCD for short," Alfred said, as they all continued to watch the terrible assault on Gotham City. "They were originally built for heavy construction duties on the deep sea floor."

"These were on display at the Science Exhibit, weren't they?" Alex asked.

Alfred nodded. "Indeed they were. I had been planning to visit their diorama, but I see that it would be a moot point now."

"But who's behind this?" Rachel asked.

"I'd be willing to bet it's the Riddler," Olivia said grimly.

"I agree," Batman said with a nod. "It ties in with him wanting to trap Superman and Supergirl--the Riddler would want them out of the way if he was going to pull something like this off."

He hit a button on the console and brought up an image of the laser-projected message intended for Superman. This had also been recorded by a TV news team when it first appeared in the night skies earlier. Batman had read it several times before already--it had been easy to determine that the Riddler was holding Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen as hostages; now he looked intently at the location. "It appears to be emanating from the East docks. I'll need to triangulate exactly where this was projected from."

"Wait," Rachel said, as she leaned forward and examined the footage of the laser projection. "That's coming from a warehouse that Boss Thorne owns down there. It's named the Jamesville Storage Company. The police busted one of his crews down there for illegal imports a few years back and it's been shut down ever since."

"You think the Riddler would have lured Superman and Supergirl there?" Olivia asked.

"The warehouse is officially no longer in use anymore," Rachel said with a shrug. "But Thorne still owns it."

"And whatever's Thorne is now the Riddler's," Batman said, as he got up from the chair. "That's where I'm headed. It's as good a place as any to start."

"I'll gas up the Tumbler," Alfred said.

"No need, Alfred," Batman said. "I'm taking the Batwing. If Superman and Supergirl have been incapacitated by Kryptonite, then time is of the essence."

**B&B**

Harley Quinn awoke to find herself handcuffed and lying in the rear of a police armored car. Two Gotham City detectives, a Hispanic woman and an enormously fat guy, rode with her. They sat across from each other by the rear door, conversing quietly. The guy had a police radio up to his ear.

"What is it, Harvey?" the woman asked.

Harvey shook his hippopotamus head. "There's all sorts of craziness going on, Renee. They just announced a city-wide alert for the police, fire and emergency response departments."

"For what?"

"An attack by large, metallic spiders," Harvey said, with an incredulous look.

"That's just the least of your worries!" Harley shouted, as she sat up on the floor. "I've been severely injured here! And you guys handcuff me like I'm a common criminal! This is police brutality! You should be taking me to a hospital!"

Renee abruptly leaned forward and grabbed Harley by the collar. "For your information, we _are_ taking you to a hospital, you crazy bitch. And if you don't sit there quietly and shut up, then so help me, you _will_ see some police brutality! Comprende, senora?"

"BOB, LOOK OUT!" one of the cops seated up front had suddenly shouted at the driver.

Harley and Renee were both caught in a whirlwind as something struck the armored car and sent it careening wildly. When it finally stopped spinning, Harley saw that the armored car was upside-down, and she found herself lying on top of an unconscious Renee. She quickly dug through the detective's clothes and found the keys to the cuffs.

The armored car's back door was hanging open. Harley kicked it aside and emerged on the street in time to see a giant robotic monster walking right by her. She smiled and began waving. "THANKS, GUYS! THANKS VERY MUCH!"

The armored car had knocked over a fire hydrant. As a column of water gushed straight into the air, Harley began to skip happily down the street, ignoring the fact that she was getting wet. "I'm singing in the rain," she sang, "just singing in the rain! Oh, what a glorious feeling; I'm happy to be _free _again…."

**B&B**

_Five Minutes Ago_

"Oh, my God!" Casey shouted. "They're right out here!"

Elliot's attention had been focused on the TV set at the hotel bar, which showed the devastating assault on the city by the army of robots. When he heard Casey shout, he and Dani exchanged a concerned glance as they both ran out to the lobby.

Casey stood peering out the large windows with her new-found friend Samantha Spade. There was a man in a suit and black hair standing with them. Elliot and Dani came up to the window just in time to see one of the metallic monsters kick a Gotham City Police armored car to the side like it was a mere toy. There was now crowd of people standing at the windows, and they all let out a collective gasp of horror as the armored car rolled over several times--knocking over a fire hydrant in the process--before coming to a rest right in front of their hotel. It lay half in the street and half on the sidewalk like some kind of badly wounded beast.

"That's it," Elliot said, as he started walking for the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Dani asked.

He turned to her and said, "Gotham City PD is really taking it on the chin out there. I figure they'd probably appreciate some help. You don't have to come, if you don't want to."

Dani just smiled at him as she pulled out her baton. "You're kidding, right? C'mon, Elliot, let's go."

"Wait," the dark haired man who was with Casey and Sam said. "I'm coming too. Jack Malone, FBI."

"Elliot Stabler, and my partner Dani Beck, NYPD," Elliot said, as he shook Malone's hand. "Welcome aboard. The more the merrier."

"In that case, count me in as well," Sam Spade said, as she walked out with them.

"Be careful!" Casey said, concerned.

"Thanks, Case," both Elliot and Sam replied at the same time. They gave each other a puzzled look. Deep down, Elliot couldn't help but feel a little jealous at the friendship that Casey had quickly developed with this FBI stranger.

"I meant that for everybody," Casey said. "Please be careful."

"Hey, you guys going out to help?" a man called after them. He flashed a Boston City Police badge. "I'm Woody Hoyt, Boston PD. Mind if I tag along?"

"Me, too!" a slender blond woman spoke up. She held out her badge as she joined the growing group. "Lilly Rush, Philadelphia PD."

"Welcome to the club," Elliot called, as he led everyone outside. He immediately regretted making this decision once he got hit with the water that rained down from the ruined fire hydrant. They ran up to the front of the armored car and helped the two cops who were already crawling out.

"There's two detectives in back," one of them urgently told Elliot. "They're with a suspect."

"Somebody check the back!" Dani called to their informal rescue team.

"Whoa!" Woody said, as he and Lilly were both startled by the bizarre sight of Harlequin cheerfully performing "Singing In The Rain" in the street.

"POLICE!" Lilly cried, as she and Woody drew their guns on Harlequin. "GET ON THE GROUND, NOW!"

Harlequin glanced back at them as if they were a mere annoyance. "Nah, I don't think so."

Then she broke into a mad dash down the street, giggling all the way.

"This is one crazy town," Woody muttered--as he, Lilly and Samantha all broke into a run after Harlequin.

Munch, Fin and Cragen all emerged from the hotel just then. "What's going on?" Fin asked. "Wasn't that the Joker's girlfriend?"

Jack Malone stuck his head out the back of the armored car and said, "We've got somebody severely injured back here. We need an ambulance right now!"

"I'm on it," Cragen replied, as he pulled out his cell phone. He gestured after the detectives who gave chase to Harlequin and said, "Munch, Fin, go back them up."

Munch and Fin broke into a run to catch up with the others.

"The victim is a GCPD detective named Renee Montoya," Malone told Cragen.

"Montoya!" Elliot said with alarm.

"You know her?" Malone asked him.

"Yeah," Elliot said grimly. When Dani gave him a questioning look, he said, "Liv works with her. I met Renee and her partner Harvey Bullock back when Liv first came to Gotham City during the Penguin case."

Elliot poked his head inside the battered armored car and saw one of the saddest scenes in his life.

A tear-filled Harvey Bullock sat cradling an unconscious Renee Montoya in his arms. He glanced up at Elliot and said, "I can't get her to wake up, Stabler. I don't know what I'm gonna do if she…if she won't…."

"Help is coming, Harvey," Elliot said. "Just hold on to her."

"And keep talking to her!" Dani advised.

"911 is fried," Cragen said with a shake of his head. "The attack on the city has overloaded the emergency response system."

"Excuse me," a woman's voice said, as Elliot felt someone pushing him aside. He glanced down and saw a petite red-haired woman in a business suit quickly step into the armored car.

"Who the hell are you?" Elliot called after her.

A tall man in a business suit grabbed his arm. "It's all right, she's a doctor."

The red-haired woman bent down and began to examine the unconscious Montoya, as Harvey eyed her suspiciously. "You a doctor?"

"My name is Dana Scully," she said, with the calmness of a professional. "I'm an FBI agent, but I'm also a fully trained medical doctor."

Harvey nodded, satisfied. "Then help her, doc. Please."

"I'll do everything in my power," Scully promised him.

**B&B**

The Riddler smiled as he approached the Museum of Ancient History in his SCD. There was a cordon of security guards standing outside the building, and when they saw him round the corner, they all raised their guns up.

'Fools,' the Riddler thought.

The Riddler swung his SCD into the up-right position, and then he and four others in his little metal army slowly climbed the steps, sweeping the security guards aside like rag dolls. Despite the ease in how the SCDs cut through their ranks, several security guards bravely remained in front of the metal marauders, each firing their weapons until they were empty. Once these last few stragglers were swept aside, the Riddler commanded his SCD to grab the front doors and rip them off their hinges.

As the Riddler led the other SCDs into the massive lobby of the museum, he could not help but feel the excitement tingle up his back. In a few moments, he would be a very wealthy man.

'After all,' he smugly thought, 'what could go wrong now?'

**B&B**

"These two are a lot tougher than I thought," Rocco commented, as he gazed down at the unconscious Superman and Supergirl. "If I didn't know any better, I'd almost swear they were fighting this somehow."

"Is there any way we can help them to croak faster?" Marvin asked. "Maybe if we moved the glowing green rocks closer. Hey, what's that stuff called again?"

"It's called Kryptonite," a blood-curdling voice said from the darkness above them. "You can read all about it in the prison library."

Rocco glanced up just in time to see the Batman come flying down at him with his wings spread out like some predatory creature straight out of hell.

"EVERYBODY HIT THE DECK!" Rocco shouted, as he dove face down onto the floor. He felt a swoosh of air right above him as Batman flew by.

When Rocco got to his feet, his gun was in his hand. "Everybody all right?"

The rest of his crew cautiously stood up from where they ducked down to the floor, all staring fearfully around them.

"Where did he go?" Marvin asked.

"I don't know," Rocco said, puzzled. It was odd; all Batman did was simply fly over them very low--and then he vanished.

"Maybe we scared him away?" Vinnie said hopefully.

"Yeah, right," Marvin replied sarcastically. "In your dreams…."

Rocco checked on the reporters and saw that Lane and the kid were still right where they left them, still trussed up and gagged. "That's weird," he said, "why would Batman just fly in and then just--"

His stopped talking when the table caught his attention. The bowl of Kryptonite was gone. "Hey, it looks like Batman took the Kryptonite!" Rocco called. When there was no answer, he turned to his men and said, "Did you hear what I said? Batman stole the Kryptonite from the…."

Rocco frowned when he saw his men all backing nervously away from him. He wondered why they were afraid of him--until Rocco realized that they were backing away from something that was _behind_ him.

It was at that point that a little voice at the back of his mind said, 'The Kryptonite was the only thing that kept Superman and Supergirl at bay. And if _that's_ gone, then….'

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Rocco muttered, as he slowly glanced over his shoulder in mortal terror. "Sweet Mary, Mother Of God…."

Superman stood there, glowering angrily at him.

Rocco instinctively brought up his gun, and--within a blink of an eye--Superman snatched it from him and crushed it within his bare hand.

All Rocco could say was "Holy shi--"

And that was _all _he managed to say, just before Superman belted him across the face. The blow instantly knocked Rocco unconscious.

**B&B**

Batman smiled--he actually smiled--as he watched Superman and Supergirl make swift work of the thugs from his perch within the metal framework of the roof. 'Even sapped of their strength, they're still mopping the floor with these guys,' he thought.

When he saw one of the gangsters make a beeline for the still bound Lois Lane, Batman dove down and landed in-between them.

The gangster stopped short and stared incredulously at Batman, just before the Dark Knight punched his lights out. Then, pulling out one of his Batdarts, he used it to slice the ropes free from Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. By the time Batman had the reporters completely untied, Superman and Supergirl had worked their way through all of the gangsters, who now all lay on the floor, knocked-out.

"Thanks so much," Lois gratefully said to Batman.

"Yes," Superman said, as he and Supergirl came over to them. "Thanks from us, as well. That's the second time you saved our bacon."

"It's not over," Batman said. Superman and the others all listened with astonishment as Batman told them about the Riddler's grand scheme to rob the Ancient Treasures exhibit, using the SCDs.

"So that was his big plan," Supergirl said with disgust. "Use a bunch of machines to commit a common robbery."

"I wouldn't underestimate the Riddler," Batman told her. "His goal may be a simple one, but he's proven himself to be a criminal mastermind in how he went about to achieve it. I'm about to head down there myself right now. I don't mind saying that I could really use your help."

"You got it," Superman said. "But the exposure to the Kryptonite has drained us pretty severely. There's something we must do first. But we'll be right back."

"Very well," Batman said, as he shot a grappling line at the ceiling. "Then I'll meet you at ground zero: the Ancient Treasures exhibit."

As Batman arose into the steel girders of the ceiling, he overheard Lois Lane say, "We seem to never be able to stay out of trouble, can we?"

He thought she said it to Olsen, yet when he glanced back down, Batman was surprised to see Lois and Superman in a tender embrace.

'Interesting,' Batman thought, as he climbed onto the roof and jumped into the Batwing. 'Apparently, Lois Lane's relationship with the Man Of Steel is more than that of just friends.'

**B&B**

Olivia ran into the SVU office, which was presently empty--thanks to the full alert that the mayor had called for all police, fire and emergency units--and got the spare gun and holster she kept in a safe in her closet.

As she strapped the holster to her belt, Olivia let out a sigh as she heard Alex enter the office. She knew what was coming.

Sure enough, Alex said, "Are you sure I can't talk you out of this, Liv?"

"Alex, honey, there's been a city-wide state of emergency called," Olivia explained. "That means every cop--whether they're on duty or not--has to come in."

"But you're a kidnap victim!" Alex cried. "We both are! We've just been rescued from the Joker! We should be kicking back right now and eating pizza. Did I mention that I never got a chance to eat the pizza that we had delivered?"

"Alex, all due respect, but you didn't have to come with me," Olivia told her. "You could have stayed at Wayne Manor, and Alfred would gladly have made a pizza for you."

"Oh no," Alex said with shake of her head. "I'm not leaving you alone tonight! You might go off and do something foolish--like stand in front of another gun, or try and battle a super villain on your own!"

"Don't be silly," Olivia said. "Whatever I'm supposed to do will probably be a mundane assignment, like emergency evacuation supervision--or whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing. That's what I'll try and find out now."

Olivia smiled when she saw Linda running towards her. "Hey, Linda, can you tell me where I'm--uunnghh!"

Linda ran straight into Olivia and gave her a tight hug. "I know I'm not supposed to cry," Linda said, as she burst into tears. "But I thought I'd lost you, boss. It's so good to see you again!"

"Oh, Linda," Olivia murmured, as she returned the hug with equal affection. "It's good to see you, too, kid."

After she embraced Alex, Linda said, "They've already left for the Ancient Treasures Exhibition."

"Who?" Olivia asked.

"Everybody who can carry a gun," Linda replied. "I stayed behind here as part of a skeleton crew."

"The Ancient Treasures exhibition," Olivia said with a nod. "Ok, so that's where we'll go--" Olivia was interrupted by her police radio. The dispatch operator made a general announcement that Harlequin had escaped custody and was last sighted on East Steward Street.

"Harlequin is free?" Alex said with disbelief.

"Not if I can help it," Olivia said curtly. "Let's get over to East Steward Street, right away."

"So much for a mundane assignment," Alex muttered, as she and Linda followed Olivia out the office.

**B&B**

Kal-El was still exhausted from his life-draining encounter with the Kryptonite. But there was no time to rest--too many people counted on them. Once they brought Lois and Jimmy safely back to their hotel, Kal-El led Kara upwards, to the farthest reaches of the atmosphere. Once there, they both headed east, until they crossed the day/night meridian.

The moment he was bathed in the light of the yellow sun, Kal-El felt a welcoming tingling sensation all over his body, as his superpowers were instantly rejuvenated to full strength. He glanced over at Kara, and saw that she, too, also appeared to be fully replenished by the sun. When he gave her a questioning look, Kara gave him a broad smile in response.

They were both ready.

Both Kal-El and Kara each did a back flip as they soared back down into the night side of the earth. As they raced back towards the east coast of the United States, they broke the sound barrier, setting off twin sonic booms in the night skies. Most people glanced up in puzzlement at the booming noises; yet for the besieged residents of Gotham City, those twin booms would come to be known as a great herald--a welcome sign that their long night of terror was about to end.

**B&B**

When Agent Scully made the determination that Montoya could be moved, both Elliot and Harvey gently lifted her out of the back of the wrecked armored car. They used a gurney that was borrowed from the hotel. When Harvey carried the gurney as far as he could through the rear doorway, Jack Malone took over from him and helped Elliot carry the still unconscious Montoya over to the sidewalk. As soon as they placed Montoya down, Agent Scully bent over and examined her vitals once more.

Casey came over with a concerned look on her face. "How is she?"

"She's stable enough to get to a hospital," Scully said with a nod. "Mulder, what's the ETA on that ambulance?"

"Nada," Mulder replied, as he closed his cell phone. "I still can't get through to 911."

"Just like before," Cragen said grimly. "The city-wide crisis has spread the emergency response services too thin."

"Well, let's load her up into a car and take her to the hospital ourselves," Elliot suggested.

"Yeah," Dani started to say, "that's a good--"

Elliot glanced over and saw Dani was staring at something above him with wide, fearful eyes. When he looked at what it was that frightened his partner and lover so much, Elliot found himself stunned beyond words.

Supergirl hovered in the air just above them. Her cape billowed in the night sky, giving her an outer-worldly, dream-like quality. "Hello," she said. "May I be of help?"

**B&B**

Batman grimly surveyed the scene below from the Batwing. The Ancient Treasures exhibition had been effectively sealed off from the outside world by six of the SCDs, which formed a cordon outside the building. They fought off any attack that came from the Gotham City Police Force, which surrounded the area and were under the direct command of Jim Gordon. The SCDs were impervious to guns, grenades and whatever else the police threw at them.

'It's time I gave it a shot,' Batman thought, as he brought the Batwing into an assault dive. Just as he leveled the Batwing off, Batman hit a button on the console, and a targeting array lit up on a small screen. Once he had one of the SCDs targeted, he pulled a trigger.

Beneath the Batwing, a grappler line shot out and attached itself to the top of one of the SCDs. Batman then kicked the Batwing's engines into overdrive as he tried to lift the SCD off the ground. But the SCD simply reached up with one of its claws and snapped the steel cable like it was nothing more than a string. The SCD then ripped a street lamp from the sidewalk and began to swing it like a flyswatter at the Batwing.

'Time for a more direct approach,' Batman thought, as he placed the Batwing on auto-pilot and opened the canopy. He leaped out and fired a grappling line into a train platform above him. He then swung onto the top of the SCD itself and expertly landed right on the hatch. After trying to open the hatch to no avail, Batman began placing the explosive charges around the lid--until one of the SCD's claws abruptly knocked him right off.

The combination of his hardened Batsuit, along with forcing his body to roll along the ground, was enough to prevent any serious injury. But once Batman rose to his feet, he saw that two SCDs had him trapped up against a stone wall.

As the SCDs loomed ominously over him, Batman saw that they closed their claws into fists, as if getting ready to pound him into the very ground.

'This is gonna hurt,' Batman thought, as he solemnly braced himself for a major battle, possibly to the death.

Yet just before the SCDs could pounce on the Dark Knight, a blue and red blur appeared right before them, and the stunned SCD operators found themselves facing another opponent…Superman.

One of the SCDs advanced towards the Man Of Steel and proceeded to smash him with both of its masive claws.

Yet Superman stopped the attack by effortlessly catching the claws in each hand. And then, while still holding onto the claws, he ripped the arms right off the SCD. The SCD, now armless, tried to turn around and run away, but Superman grabbed one of its legs and tripped it up, causing it to fall on the ground. Superman then ripped off the SCD's legs, reducing it to a helpless ball that rolled around on the street.

The other SCD ran back to join its comrades, all of whom still stood guard outside the Ancient Treasures building.

"I see you're feeling much better," Batman called.

Superman glanced over his shoulder at Batman with a smirk. "Amazing what catching a few rays can do for a guy. How many of them are there?"

"You just took down one, so there's eleven left," Batman told him.

"Correction, I'm taking down five more," Superman said firmly. "Right now."

With that, Superman took off like a bullet and smashed right into the body of the lead SCD. The impact caused the drone to fall back against its comrade, which caused that drone to fall back against the drone behind it, and so on, until the entire line of SCDs went down like a row of dominoes.

This caused mass cheering from the police, who suffered badly at the hands of the SCDs, and had needed a morale boost tonight.

'Looks like the killer robots have finally met their match,' Batman thought with satisifaction.

**B&B**

The Riddler was grinning broadly as he loaded the storage bin at the back of his SCD with priceless treasures from the Mayan exhibit. With such vast riches simply waiting to be taken, he truly felt like a kid in a candy store. The other SCDs were also busy loading their bins with treasure. The Mayan, Aztec and Greek exhibits had already been cleaned out.

'I really should save some room for the Ancient Egyptian treasures,' he told himself. 'I've had my eye on the Staff Of Ra for quite some time now, and I really should get it before--'

"Riddler!" came a frantic call over the intercom. "We've got a problem out here!"

"What is it?" he asked, annoyed.

"It's Superm--" was all the man could say, just before his voice was abruptly cut off in static.

Riddler heard a crashing sound from outside, and glanced out the shattered doors just in time to see Superman smashing into the row of SCDs that he'd left out there to guard their rear.

"Damn it, how did he get loose?" Riddler snarled. His eyes grew fearfully wide as he watched how Superman easily dismantled five of the SCDs outside. When he knocked them all down in a row, they had become tangled up, and it was a simple matter for the Man Of Steel to fly over and rip their arms and legs off; which instantly rendered the machines useless.

"What'll we do, boss?" That question came from one of the other SCD operators who was inside the exhibit with him.

'Forget the Staff Of Ra,' the Riddler thought. 'With the loot I've got, I'm already a billionaire several times over.'

"It's every man for himself, now, boys," he announced. "Hit the exits. If you can't find an exit, then make one."

**B&B**

Dr. Meredith Grey leaned up against the wall and gazed at the night sky above her with a weary sigh as she opened her container of orange juice. Although she was normally a resident of Seattle Grace Hospital, Meredith was now three thousand miles away from home tonight, working in the ER of Gotham City's Angel Of Mercy Hospital. Meredith didn't plan on working when she visited Gotham City this weekend; she had meant to simply take in the sights and hopefully catch a sighting of Batman, just like any other tourist.

But Meredith was so devastated when she saw the bizarre attack of these strange metal monsters on the news earlier that she promptly left her hotel room and came down to Angel Of Mercy, where she offered her services as a doctor. They welcomed her with open arms, and immediately put her to work in the ER, which looked like a MASH unit in a combat zone. The number of casualties had been overwhelming, to say the least. The majority of them were Gotham City Police officers who had tried to fight the metal monsters, and many of them were just innocent people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

After several hours of dealing with broken bones, fractured skulls, burst spleens and various other injuries of the multitude of patients--including many badly hurt children who broke her heart--Meredith began to feel a special hatred for the men who operated those metal monsters. She caught part of a news report in the doctor's lounge earlier which said that their plan was to assault the Ancient Treasures Exhibit and steal the priceless riches within. This revelation only sickened her to no end. All of this pain and destruction was bad enough, but the fact that simple greed was the cause of all of it was disgusting to Meredith.

She was startled when she heard what sounded like an explosion several blocks down. Then there was another one, this time louder. Meredith shook her head. Just when she thought there was a lull in the battle, it appeared to be starting anew all over again.

'When is this going to end?' Meredith thought, as she gazed wearily up at the angel statue that sat on the hospital roof. 'It's enough to make me wish there really were angels in this sad world….'

"Excuse me?" a young girl's voice called out to her.

Meredith glanced around with a frown, wondering where the girl was.

And then she glanced up, and what she saw was so shocking, Meredith let out a sharp gasp as she dropped her orange juice. It burst open with a splat on the asphalt.

A teenaged girl floated down to her from the night sky. She had long flowing blond hair and was dressed in a blue outfit with a red cape. She effortlessly carried an unconscious Hispanic woman in her arms. The girl landed on the ground and strode up to Meredith, holding the prone woman out before her.

"Her name is Renee Montoya," the girl calmly told Meredith. "She's a detective with the Gotham City Police department. She needs your help."

Meredith's doctor instincts overcame her shock, and she ran in and grabbed a couple of orderlies with a stretcher and brought them outside.

"She suffered a massive concussion and has a fractured left forearm," the strange girl told Meredith as they placed the injured detective on the stretcher.

"H-How do you know that?" Meredith asked her.

"I have X-Ray vision," the girl replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And now, if you'll excuse me…."

With that, she leapt up into the air…and kept right on going, flying into the night with her blond hair and red cape flowing behind her.

As a stunned Meredith watched her fly away, she thought, 'I guess there really are angels in this crazy world!'

And then, as she and the orderlies quickly brought Detective Montoya into the ER, another thought hit Meredith: 'The guys back home are never gonna believe me when I tell them about this!'

**B&B**

Once again aloft in the Batwing, Batman glanced down when he saw a large cloud of smoke erupt from one of the buildings. It came from a wall that had been abruptly smashed out by one of the SCDs, which was making a break for it down the street. Apparently the remaining SCDs decided it was better to break up than to take on Superman.

Before he could respond, Batman saw Supergirl off the starboard side of the Batwing. She gave him a wave, as if to say she'll take care of this one. As she dove down to attack the SCD, Batman hoped Supergirl knew what she was doing.

She flew down in front of the SCD and held up her hand--it looked as if she was giving the operator a chance to surrender, which was far more mercy than Batman would have given him.

The SCD's response was to abruptly smack Supergirl with one of its claws, the blow sending her careening right through the glass doors of the hotel. As Batman swung around in the Batwing, he got a good view of the SCD operator.

It was a man in a green suit and bowler hat.

"Riddler!" Batman snarled.

Batman immediately put the Batwing on autopilot and opened the canopy. Spreading his wings out to his sides, he took flight in the night air. He wanted the Riddler very badly, and Batman would let nothing stand in the way of his vengeance.

**B&B**

"Oh Christ!" Elliot said, as he watched in horror as Supergirl was flung through the glass doors, instantly shattering them. The blow from the SCD sent her flying through the lobby of the hotel, until she smashed up against the wall--cracking the plaster--and fell to the floor in a heap.

Elliot and Dani both broke into a run towards the stricken girl. It was just a few minutes ago that she had helped them by taking Montoya to the hospital, and now Supergirl looked like she could use medical attention.

Elliot bent down and felt for a pulse on Supergirl's neck. Thankfully, there was one, and it was strong and steady. "She's alive," he said with relief. "She's been knocked out cold."

Dani grabbed his arm. "Elliot, look!"

He glanced outside and saw the SCD had started moving again, as if nothing had happened. Then, it came to a dead stop when Batman suddenly landed a few feet down the street from it. Both Batman and the SCD operator glared at each other for a moment.

And then Batman raised his hand and gave the SCD a 'come here' gesture.

The SCD operator, who wore a bowler hat, smiled broadly as he started up his massive machine and aimed it straight at the Batman.

"Batman has superpowers, right?" Dani asked, as she nervously watched the brewing confrontation.

"According to Liv, no," Elliot replied. He watched in morbid fascination as the SCD continued to come straight at Batman, and wondered what the hell the Dark Knight had up his sleeve. "I sure hope he knows what he's doing."

**B&B**

When Olivia drove onto East Steward Street, she found the abandoned building that the dispatch mentioned and pulled up to the front doors. Fin Tutuola stood outside.

"Olivia," Fin said, as he came up to her with a smile. "After hearing about what a clobbering the Gotham PD's been getting tonight, it's good to see you're ok."

'If you only knew what _I've_ been through this evening,' Olivia thought with a slight smile. "Thanks, Fin. I heard on the dispatch that Harlequin escaped." She glanced up at the abandoned building. "Is this where she's holed up?"

"Yeah, she went in, but we managed to get the building cordoned off before she could leave," Fin said as they walked towards the building. He smiled when he saw Alex. "Hey, Counselor, I hear you're working as an ADA again--only it's for Gotham City, now."

Before Alex could reply to Fin, Olivia abruptly turned to her and said, "Alex, no; you wait by the car."

"No, Olivia," Alex replied, in her best frosty manner. "I'm coming with you, no matter where you go."

"You're acting very irrational," Olivia told her.

"Liv, we've been kidnapped by the Joker, and Gotham City is now under attack by an army of giant metal spiders," Alex said. "This hasn't exactly been a rational night."

"She's got you there, boss," Linda muttered.

Olivia glanced up at the night sky with an exasperated look on her face. Yet as much as she hated to admit it, Alex did have a point. "All right," she conceded. "But you stay right by my side, Alex."

Alex flashed a smile at her. "That's been my intention all along, Inspector."

"What's this about you being kidnapped by the Joker?" Fin asked, looking concerned.

"Long story," Olivia said, as they walked into the building. "We'll tell you after we get Harlequin."

"Yeah, well, about those metal spiders, I heard on the radio that Superman's presently kicking their metal butts," Fin said.

"Good," Olivia said with a smile. That was doubly good news for her, because it also meant that Batman had been successful in freeing Superman and Supergirl from the Kryptonite trap.

When they entered the lobby, Munch met them at the doors. "Hey, Liv. Are you a part of the backup from the GCPD?"

"I think we _are_ the backup," Olivia told him. "Where is she?"

"In the main storage area," Munch said. "There's only one way out, and we've got that covered."

"Who's we?" Olivia asked.

"Our posse," Fin said with a grin. "Just a bunch of cops from the hotel. We decided to help pitch in on this crazy night."

They entered the storage area through a narrow doorway that was guarded by two women and one man. Olivia already knew Samantha Spade from having been introduced to her before by Casey. Fin introduced her to Woody Hoyt of the Boston PD, and Lilly Rush of the Philadelphia PD. Olivia introduced them to Linda and Alex.

"Feel free to take over, Liv," Munch said. "Since not only are you GCPD, but you're the highest ranking officer here."

"It's still your bust; all of you will get full credit," Olivia assured them. She glanced at the vast storage area, which contained many large objects that were wrapped up in canvas. "What is this place, exactly?"

"It's a storage facility for carnival rides, and circus equipment," Woody informed her.

Olivia and Alex exchanged a jaded look. "Why am I not surprised?" Alex said.

"If it isn't the Penguin with birds, it's this little clown with carnivals," Olivia muttered. "These crazies always stick to their frigging motif, even if it kills them."

"At least I _have_ a motif, slut!" Harley's voice called from within the storage facility.

Everyone went on alert just then by pulling out their guns. "You sure there's no other way out of here?" Olivia whispered.

"There's cargo doors at the opposite end," Sam replied, also in a whisper. "But they're all sealed shut. This is the only way out, and we're blocking it."

"The crazy bitch's still got about a thousand places to hide in here," Fin said. "We're gonna need at least a hundred cops to flush her out."

"Or we could draw her out," Olivia said, as an idea just occurred to her.

"What are you thinking?" Munch asked.

"Just follow my lead," Olivia said. She walked out by herself in the center of the storage facility. "I know why Harlequin is hiding," she said, in a voice loud enough for Harley to hear. "Because she's a scared little wimp who can't face the world without the Joker!"

Although there was no response from their quarry, Olivia heard the sound of something being knocked over off to her right. She turned in that direction, standing underneath a packed up Ferris wheel, and said, "Harlequin is hiding because she can't face the fact that the Joker is dead!"

"He's not dead," Harley's voice echoed from the darkness.

"You know he is," Olivia taunted. "Nobody could survive that fall. The Joker is dead, Harley. You're all alone, now. So just face the facts, and come--"

"HE'S NOT DEAD!"

"LIV," Alex screamed, "LOOK OUT!"

Olivia glanced up just in time to see an enraged Harlequin come flying straight down at her. As they crashed to the floor together, Olivia let out a mental curse as she lost her grip on her gun.

Harlequin grabbed Olivia by the throat with both hands and gave her the craziest smile she had ever seen. "The Joker isn't dead," Harlequin said. "But you soon will be!"

**...to be concluded, in the next and final chapter. **


	14. One Last Blast

_I would like to thank JusticeIsBlind13, RebelBrydie, Barbarossa Rotbart and Andrea for their kind words. _

**Batman & Benson 2**

**Fourteen **

**"One Last Blast"**

Harley's mouth spread out into a broad grin as she tightened her grip around Olivia's neck. With a grunt, Olivia brought her arms up in-between Harley's and instantly broke her stranglehold. Before Harley could try to grab her throat again, Olivia knocked the psychotic woman off of her with a hard kick to the stomach.

The blow sent Harley colliding with the side of the Ferris wheel, where she quickly regained her composure and started to get back on her feet, with the intention of assaulting Olivia once more. Yet before she could even move, Harley cringed at the sight of a half dozen handguns having abruptly been pointed right in her face.

Olivia smiled as Fin, Munch, Linda, Lilly, Woody and Sam promptly ended the fight when they all drew their guns on Harley at the same time. Alex came over and helped her to her feet.

"You have the right to remain silent," Linda said, as she began reading Harley her rights. "If you do not remain silent, anything you say--"

"No wait!" Harley cried. "You don't understand! I-I've been abused. The Joker sexually, physically and mentally tortured me." She gazed at Olivia and held out her hands. "I'm a special victim, Inspector Benson, please help me!"

Olivia rolled her eyes in disgust as she retrieved her fallen gun. Alex, who gave the whining Harley her own sickened look, came over to Olivia and asked, "Can I borrow your gun for just a second?"

"Alex, c'mon," Olivia said with a shake of her head. "No."

"Ok, can I at least hit her with it?" Alex persisted.

"Is this any way to treat a rape victim?" Harley demanded, as Linda cuffed her wrists behind her back. "I want a lawyer! I want a human rights advocate present when--"

Harlequin ceased her grumbling once Olivia came over, stood face to face with her, and curtly said, "Save it for the judge, Dr. Quinn."

"Once my lawyer gets through with you, you'll be lucky if you're still directing traffic!" Harley yelled back at her. "I've got a great case of police brutality against all of--"

At that instant, Olivia, Alex, Linda, Fin, Munch, Sam, Woody and Lilly all turned to Harlequin and, in unison, shouted: "SHUT UP!!!"

"Jeez, where's the compassion you SVU cops are known for?" Harley muttered, as she was led out of the warehouse by Linda and Sam.

"For your information, I'm FBI," Sam said.

Once they emerged onto the street, Olivia's eyes grew wide when she heard a loud booming sound, like an explosion, coming from down the street. When the group ran down to see what it was, they found one of the SCDs standing there, with Batman staring it down. Olivia glanced at the hotel, and saw the front doors had been shattered inward by something. She could see Elliot, Casey, and several dozen other people all watching the lone SCD and Batman.

Then, Batman raised his hand and gave a 'come here' gesture to the SCD. The operator within the SCD, who wore a green suit with a bowler hat, smiled broadly before manipulating his monster-machine into charging right at the Dark Knight. When Olivia saw that the SCD operator wore a green tie with a black question mark on it, she realized that it must be the Riddler.

"All right!" Harley shouted in approval at the coming battle. "This is _way_ better than wrestling!"  
As she watched the Batman stand perfectly still as the SCD came right at him, Olivia said, "Sweet Jesus, what's he thinking?!"

Olivia wanted to shout for Batman to get out of the way, but before she could, the Dark Knight threw something at the SCD. Whatever it was, it exploded against the clear glass dome in a puff of smoke. Then Olivia realized that the smoke wasn't from the explosion--it was coming off the dome itself. The SCD halted its attack as a large portion of the clear surface of the dome was bubbling and crackling badly, obscuring the view for the operator.

"Acid," Olivia said with a smile. "He threw acid at it!"

As the Riddler got busy trying to wipe the acid off its forward dome, Batman sprung into action. He shot a grappling line into the air, which caught on the hotel sign above. Then he flew up and deftly landed on top of the dome of the SCD, where he planted something around the hatch. He backed into a protective crouching position just as the hatch exploded. Then Batman pulled open the damaged hatch and dove inside the sphere.

The SCD abruptly jerked as if it were being electrified--then it slumped over dead.

Olivia grinned when she saw Batman emerge from the hatch holding the Riddler by the throat.

"P-Please, please, don't hurt me!" the Riddler cried in fear.

"YOU TURNED MY CITY INTO A BATTLE ZONE," Batman roared right into his face. "WHY SHOULDN'T I TAKE IT OUT ON YOUR HIDE RIGHT NOW?!"

"Hey, somebody better stop him," Lilly urgently said. "He's going to beat that buy to a pulp!"

'The Riddler deserves it,' Olivia thought darkly. She understood all too well the rage that Bruce felt right now. But the Philly cop had a point; the Riddler had been caught, and she couldn't let Bruce slip over into total darkness by doing something that he would later regret, especially in front of a crowd of police officers.

Just as Batman raised his fist up to hit the Riddler, Olivia stepped forward and said, "Batman!"

The Dark Knight hesitated, but he did not look at her. "_WHAT?!"_

"Batman, ease off," she said gently. "You got him."

"That's right, I got him," Batman snarled. "And now I'm going to make him pay!"

"Nooo!" the Riddler cried, as he put his hands over his face in a feeble attempt to block the coming blow.

"Batman, it's over," Olivia said firmly. "Give me the Riddler. Please? I'll arrest him and take him into custody. He's not going anywhere."

Batman glared right into the anxious face of the Riddler without saying anything for a minute--yet just when Olivia thought he would still plummet the man anyway, Batman abruptly hoisted the Riddler down to the ground, where Munch and Fin went over and grabbed him.

"You want him so bad, you can have him," Batman grimly said to Olivia. Then he stood up, held his gauntlet up to his face, and said, "Come here."

"What?" Sam asked with a frown. She glanced at Olivia in puzzlement. "Does he want us to come closer?"

"No," Olivia said with a smile. "He's just calling his ride."

The incredulous look that the FBI agent gave her was priceless. "What ride?" Sam asked, somewhat nervously.

Olivia pointed at the dark mass that loomed in the sky above them. "That one."

"Good Christ!" Woody said, as he stared at the Batwing in awe.

A crowd of people came out of the hotel, and Olivia smiled when she saw Elliot and Cragen were among them. While everyone marveled at the sight of Batman boarding the Batwing, Olivia noticed that there was one person in the crowd whose attention was elsewhere.

Dani Beck stood eying Olivia apprehensively. When she saw that Olivia stared back at her, Dani shyly glanced away. Olivia got the feeling that Dani already knew who she was.

"That thing's from area 51, I just know it," Munch said, as he watched the Batwing fly off into the night. "The prototype was published on the net, by somebody who--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Fin muttered, as he and Munch brought the Riddler up in handcuffs to Olivia. "What do you want to do with this clown, Liv?"

"Sit him down on the sidewalk with Harley," she said. "I'll see about getting a police van up here to transport them to headquarters."

Elliot came up to her. "You might want to see about getting an ambulance over here, too."

"Why?" Olivia asked. "Who's hurt?"

"Supergirl," he replied. Elliot gestured at the Riddler and added, "That scumbag knocked her straight through the glass doors. She's alive, but still unconscious."

"Oh jeez," Olivia muttered, as she and Alex followed Elliot inside the hotel.

**B&B**

'Almost there!' Ronnie thought happily, as he ran towards the pier inside his SCD. Ronnie was one of the remaining six SCDs that were inside the Ancient Treasures Exhibit when Superman attacked. He had watched in terror as the Man Of Steel effortlessly took down three of his comrades right in the exhibit. Ronnie, the Riddler, and another guy used the hubris of the battle to make their escape.

Ronnie was halfway down the street, with several police cars and a helicopter giving chase, when he realized that he was inside a machine that was originally designed to operate underwater. All he had to do was get to the river, and he would be home free!

"So long, suckers!" Ronnie called back at the pursuing police, as his SCD jumped off the edge of the pier--

--and simply hung there, hovering just above the water in midair.

"What the hell?!" Ronnie cried. He looked all around him to see what had caused his SCD to stop in mid-jump like this, but could find nothing.

Then he glanced upwards.

Superman hovered above him, holding the SCD with one hand. He waved at Ronnie with the other.

"So close, and yet so far," Ronnie whimpered, as Superman carried his SCD back to shore, and right into the waiting arms of the police.

**B&B**

'Two more to go,' Kal-el thought, after he deposited the SCD driver with the police on the pier. He rose to one thousand feet above the deck, which gave him a commanding view of Gotham City. He smiled when he saw one of the SCDs had already been stopped just outside of a hotel. 'One more to go, now.'

Kal-el's smile faded when he heard the sounds of mass horrified screaming come from several blocks away. 'Looks like I found the last one,' he thought, as he dove straight down in the direction of the ruckus.

The final SCD was in the Showcase Square Mall. It had smashed its way inside and was now holding a group of shoppers hostage in a dead end section of the mall. When Kal-el landed in front of it, the SCD operator merely smiled at him as it raised one of its massive arms over the crowd of terrified hostages, who were all pressed up against the wall. With its other arm, the SCD made a gesture for Kal-el to leave. The message was clear: either back off, or I hurt these people.

'This creep knows what he's doing,' Kal-el realized. 'If I attack him, the resulting battle will definitely hurt or kill the people he's got herded in there.'

When Kal-el used his X-Ray vision to peer into the inner workings of the SCD, he saw that the console used to control the machine had a wad of wires that ran below the seat and leading out of the sphere that the driver sat in.

Kal-el glanced down and saw a manhole cover by his feet.

'Perfect,' he thought, as he kicked the manhole cover with the tip of his foot.

He grabbed the manhole cover as it flipped up and, looking for all the world like a discus thrower at the Olympics, flung it at the SCD.

The manhole cover sliced through the sphere just under the seat of the driver, where it slammed into the back, snapping right through the wad of control wires.

The SCD, with its central nervous system having been abruptly cut off, gave a jerking death rattle as it fell harmlessly over on its side.

Kal-el flew over and landed on top of the now-still SCD. He could see the operator within the sphere frantically trying to get his machine to work. Kal-el waved at the hostages and said, "It's all right! You can leave, now!"

The grateful former hostages all ran to the safety of the assembled police and emergency workers who had gathered at the scene. Kal-el ripped the hatch off of the fallen SCD and hauled the operator out by the throat.

"Still feeling tough?" Kal-el asked him.

"Nuuugggh!" was all the man said, as he shook his head in the negative. He appeared to be petrified with fear.

"Didn't think so," Kal-el muttered.

After dropping him, literally, into the arms of the police, Kal-El flew back up to one thousand feet above the deck. He wondered where Kara was. His thoughts were interrupted when the Batwing greeted him in midair. Batman gave him a thumbs up signal, then gestured for Kal-el to meet with him outside the hotel below.

Kal-el nodded, and flew down for a landing just outside the shattered doors.

**B&B**

When Elliot had escorted Olivia back into the hotel, he found Agent Scully kneeling beside the unconscious Supergirl. Mulder stood over them with a concerned look on his face. "How is she, Scully?"

"She should be dead," Scully said, with amazement in her voice, "but instead, she's just knocked out cold. It's incredible!"

Casey came over with a cold towel. "I don't know if this'll help, but--"

"It can't hurt," Scully told her. "Give it a try."

Casey knelt down and pressed the folded towel against Supergirl's forehead.

"Ummm, ma, that's so cold," Supergirl murmured with a smile, as her eyes fluttered open. Then Supergirl looked stunned when she glanced around her and realized that she wasn't where she thought she was.

Elliot couldn't help but feel touched; for during that brief few seconds, she seemed to be nothing more than just a regular kid.

"Are you all right?" Casey asked her. "No, you should stay still--"

"Yes, stay down," Scully said, as Supergirl got to her feet. "We have an ambulance coming for you."

"Please save it for somebody who really needs it," Supergirl said, looking and sounding like a super powered heroine once more. "I've got a killer robot to stop just outside this hotel!"

"It's over," Elliot said. "Batman took him down."

"Batman?!" Supergirl said, with a frown. From the annoyed look on her face, Elliot guessed there was no love lost between her and the Dark Knight.

Cragen said, "Olivia, several GCPD cars have pulled up outside and are looking for you."

"Excuse me," Olivia said, as she walked outside. "Duty calls."

Elliot also went outside and watched as Olivia easily took command of the Gotham City police officers, ordering them to place both the Riddler and Harlequin under arrest. Supergirl even went up to Olivia and consulted with her about something. Elliot was genuinely impressed at how far Olivia had come. When Alex came up and stood by his side, he said, "She's staying, isn't she?"

"She told you already?" Alex asked.

Elliot shook his head. "Didn't have to; I can see that she's staying as plain as day right here."

"Please give her a chance to tell you herself, Elliot," Alex said. "She would have told you sooner, but--well, it's been a crazy night."

Elliot nodded. "I understand."

Alex hugged him. "I knew you would. Thanks so much, Elliot."

"It's nothing. I've told Olivia once before that I'd support whatever decision she made, as long as it was what made her happy."

"Hey, what's going on?" Olivia said, as she came over. Elliot saw that the Riddler and Harlequin were already gone, having being taken by the uniforms downtown to central processing. "You hugging my girlfriend, Stabler?"

Elliot couldn't help but smile broadly at that, despite his sadness--although he had made peace with the fact that Olivia was remaining in Gotham City, he would still miss her terribly. "Alex and I are just grateful to have made it through this wild night in one piece, that's all."

Olivia's smile faded as she glanced back and forth between them. "Yeah, well, um, I've got something I've been meaning to tell you, Elliot…."

"I think I'll go check and see how well the hotel restaurant makes pizza," Alex said, as she left them alone.

Once they were alone on the sidewalk, Olivia hemmed and hawed, trying to find the best way to tell Elliot what he already knew. Finally, she said, "It's about my decision whether to remain in Gotham City, or not." And when she glanced up at him and stared deep into his eyes, Olivia had a surprised look on her face. "But you already knew, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did," Elliot admitted.

"Did Alex tell you?"

"No, Alex didn't say a word," he told her. "Just from watching you at work here, it was obvious to me that you're staying. And I support you all the way, Liv. This is a great opportunity for you."

"Yeah, it is," Olivia said, her eyes welling up with tears. "But I hate like hell to leave you."

"Aw…Liv, come here," Elliot said, as he pulled her into a tight hug. "There's no law that says we can't stay in touch, and we will."

"Yeah," Olivia muttered, as she wiped away a tear. "Of course we will."

"New York City's loss is Gotham City's gain," Elliot said. "And God help the perverts in this town now that you're on the prowl!"

Olivia started laughing at that. "I'm definitely keeping in touch with you, Elliot. Because you're one of the few people who can make me laugh like this!"

Elliot glanced behind her and saw the Batman make a perfect landing in the street. Beside him, Superman also touched down on the ground. When he saw Supergirl run up to them, Elliot said, "Looks like a superhero convention's starting here."

"Yeah," Olivia said, as she watched them. "I guess the threat is finally over."

'Uh-oh,' Elliot thought, when he saw Dani standing by the ruined hotel doors. Dani stood watching him and Olivia with an anxious look on her face as she nervously wrung her hands. When Elliot waved to her, Dani quickly ducked inside the hotel.

"Excuse me, Liv," Elliot said. "There's something I need to check on."

"Yeah, I'd better go see what this little pow-wow is about, anyway," Olivia replied. "Talk to you later!"

Elliot ran into the hotel, which--despite the late hour--was filled with guests wandering around, all speaking excitedly about the night's events. As he scanned the crowds for Dani, Elliot overheard Munch speaking loudly off to his side.

"The Batwing is definitely a design from area 51," Munch was saying to a group of people. "I know what I'm talking about, because I've seen the--"

"Oh, please, don't mention area 51!" Scully said, with a disgusted shake of her head. "I've had about enough of this stuff as I can take for one night."

Mulder broke into a broad smile. "What's the matter, Scully?"

"A flying teenager with superpowers, the Batman, and a horde of killer robots," Scully told him. "_That's_ what's wrong, Mulder!"

"What?!" Mulder said, giving her a puzzled look. "You're making this out to be like it's all my fault!"

"It is!" Scully insisted. "I can't go anywhere with you without running into Bigfoot, or aliens, or something else that's utterly crazy!"

"Well, you've got to admit, Scully: life with me is never boring," Mulder said with a smile.

Scully merely glared at him, until her hard look dissolved into laughter.

'There she is,' Elliot thought, spotting Dani over by the telephones. He ran past a fighting couple.

"I happen to be a cop, Jordan," Woody angrily said to a woman. "Helping people is my job, ok?"

"You're a cop in Boston, not here!" Jordan shot back. "Just because this place is crawling with costumed freaks doesn't mean you can get to join the freak parade! What if you got hurt?"

"Ah, that's what this is about," Woody said with a smug nod.

"That's what's what is about?"

"You care for me," Woody said right to her face. "Don't you, Jordan? And I don't mean just as friends!"

"Now you're really acting deluded, you crazy son of a--"

Casey turned from her conversation with Sam Spade and yelled, "Excuse me! But would you two please get a damn room, already?!"

"Amen!" Sam wearily added.

Both Jordan and Woody just frowned at them.

"Dani!" Elliot shouted, just as she was about to enter an elevator. "Wait!"

"M-Maybe it's just as well," Dani said, looking very rattled, as Elliot came up to her.

"What are you talking about?" Elliot asked.

"Olivia coming back to the SVU," Dani said. "Maybe it's just as well that she does, because then I can go back to the warrant squad, and…you know, there's no reason why we can't still stay in touch…."

Elliot gently grabbed her arms and said, "Olivia's staying here in Gotham City."

Dani stared at him incredulously. "What?"

"You heard me. Olivia's staying here. And you're stuck with me for a partner--that is, if you still want me."

"Oh, thank God!" Dani said with a relieved sigh.

Elliot smiled. "Wait, didn't you say it would be better if you went back to--"

"Forget what I just said," Dani replied, as a grin spread out across her face. "I now have you all to myself. What can be better than that?"

Elliot was about to agree with her, but was interrupted by the passionate kiss on the lips that Dani gave him.

**B&B**

When Olivia strode up to the trio of superheroes, Supergirl said, "Inspector Benson, you should know that, in addition to the assault on the city, the Riddler is also responsible for the kidnapping of reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen."

"Really?" Olivia said. "He's been a busy little boy tonight. Ok, I'll get the statements from Ms. Lane and Mr. Olsen later."

"Thank you, Inspector Benson," Superman said.

"Oh no, I should be thanking you guys," Olivia replied. "Thanks for all of your help tonight. We really needed it."

"We're all part of the same team," Superman said.

That gave Olivia an idea. "You know, you guys worked so well together tonight. Maybe you should form some sort of team of superheroes! Wouldn't that be great? It could be like a…I don't know, a league of superheroes…or some sort of a justice league, or something."

After exchanging a wary look with Superman and Supergirl, Batman muttered, "I wouldn't count on that ever happening."

"If you'll excuse us," Superman said, "we need to help with the cleaning up."

After they flew off into the night sky, Batman turned to Olivia and said, "I must be going, as well. But not before I say something: thank you, Liv. Thanks for stopping me from going too far with the Riddler before."

"Not a problem," she said. "I could certainly understand how you felt. Talk to you later?"

Batman nodded as he shot a grappling line into the night sky. "Of course. See you later, sis."

Olivia had already turned and walked back to the hotel when she realized what he had just called her. "Wait, what did you just call me?!"

Yet the Batman was long gone.

'Sis?!' Olivia thought with a smile. But somehow, it didn't seem so crazy after all.

**B&B**

'Thank God this night is finally over,' Batman thought. Once he touched down in the hanger, he shut down the Batwing's engines and climbed out. Between dealing with the Joker and Harlequin and then the Riddler and his army of robots--all in the same night--Batman felt like he could sleep for a week, which was what he intended to do, once he got something to eat.

After exchanging the Batsuit for a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Bruce went up to the residential section of the manor and found Rachel spread out on the floor in the living room, watching TV. Still clad in her jeans and sweatshirt, she absently bounced a bare foot up and down off the floor, looking for all the world like a teenager sneaking in some TV time when she should be studying.

When Rachel saw him enter the room, she got up and gave him a tight hug. Bruce wondered if she knew just how much he needed this hug, or how good to felt to him, right now. He let out a groan when he saw that Rachel had been watching nonstop news coverage of the robot assault on Gotham City. Yet his disgust was quelled when he saw the image of Superman, captured by a news helicopter, taking down one of the SCDs by throwing a manhole cover at it.

"You did a great job tonight," Rachel told him.

"It was mostly him," Bruce gestured at Superman, who was now standing triumphantly on top of the destroyed SCD and waving the hostages to safety.

"Don't kid yourself," Rachel said. "You played a huge part in this. For one thing, if it weren't for you, Superman wouldn't have been able to fight the SCDs in the first place."

"True," Bruce said, as he sat down on the sofa with a weary sigh. "But no doubt the Gotham City press corps is thinking up new ways of blaming the Batman for all of this."

Rachel simply smiled broadly as she sat down next to him and said, "That's what you think. Watch."

She picked up the remote and went through the news channels until she came across an image of Barbara Gordon. Barbra was still clad in the clothes she wore when she was abducted, which told Bruce this was a recently taped interview.

"Batman is my hero!" Barbra proclaimed to the crowd of reporters who gathered around her. "He saved my life, as well as the lives of Olivia Benson and Alex Cabot!"

"What do you have to say to people who think Batman is just as bad as the Joker, Barbra?" someone called out.

"I'd say they're wrong!" Barbra peevishly said. "Batman is the best thing to ever happen to Gotham City! Everybody should support him!"

The reporters started yelling more questions at Barbra--yet the press conference came to a sudden end when Commissioner Gordon took his daughter by the hand and led her away.

Rachel flipped the channel, and an image of the Batman battling the Riddler's SCD appeared. "These stunning pictures, taken by a cell phone camera, shows the Batman battling--and defeating--one of the SCD machines which ran amok in our streets tonight," a reporter intoned. "But what's even more stunning are the pictures that follow."

Bruce saw photos of himself as the Batman standing in the street, chatting with Superman, Supergirl, and Olivia. "This is clear evidence that the Batman was indeed working with Superman and Supergirl in a concerted effort to rid Gotham City of the SCD threat. What do you have to add to this, Summer?"

Summer Gleason's unsmiling face appeared. "Well, Bill, it looks like we will have to reconsider whether or not Batman is truly the menace that we originally thought."

"Do you realize what you're saying, Summer?"

"Yes, Bill, I do," Summer replied. "And I admit it: I was wrong about the Batman."

Bruce was bowled over by that. Summer Gleason had been one of the Batman's harshest critics in the media, and for her to say something like that, on TV no less, was monumental.

"You see?" Rachel asked, grinning. "It looks like the public's perception towards Batman is finally changing for the better."

**B&B**

Dr. Meredith Grey peered into Detective Renee Montoya's hospital room and was deeply moved to see that her partner, Harvey Bullock, was still there. He sat in a chair beside Renee's bed, fast asleep. Meredith checked the still-unconscious Montoya's vitals, and was satisfied that she was still in very good condition.

She then gently tapped Bullock's shoulder. When he awoke, she said, "She's doing just fine, Detective Bullock. Why don't you get some rest? Go home."

"Doc, whenever I'm with Renee, I am home," Bullock said softly. "I'd like to stay, if you don't mind."

Meredith was so touched by his devotion that she felt the tears well up behind her eyes. "Of course, stay as long as you want," she said.

"Oh my God," a voice weakly murmured from the bed, "did he actually say something _nice_ about me?"

Bullock's face burst into a broad grin as he leaned forward on the bed and grabbed Montoya's hand. "Hey there, kid," he said gently. "How you feeling?"

"Like I got bounced around inside an armored car," Renee sourly replied. "Next stupid question."

"That's my girl!" Bullock said, as he burst into roaring laughter. He glanced up at Meredith and added, "Oh yeah, doc, she's doing just fine!"

**B&B**

"Damn it," Commissioner Gordon said angrily. "God damn it!"

He stood on the edge of the vast smelting pot, which was set into the concrete floor of the abandoned factory. It was easy to see down there, thanks to the early morning sunlight that shone directly in from the row of windows near the ceiling.

"Are we sure we've got the right vat?" he called over to the team of crime scene techies.

"Yes, sir," one of them replied. He gestured up at the catwalk above. "That was where the Joker fell from, and this is the only vat in the vicinity which he could have fallen into from up there."

Gordon glared into the vat once more, and fumed at the sight that greeted him.

The bottom of the vat was completely gone, rusted away by the river that raged below them. The river seeping into the foundations of the buildings was the main reason why most of the factories in the Iron View section of Gotham City had been shut down.

But Gordon wasn't satisfied. "Could the Joker have caused the bottom to fall out when he hit it?" he asked.

"That's possible," the lead CSU man said thoughtfully. Then, after a glance into the vat with a flashlight, he added, "But judging from the rust damage, it looks like the bottom of the vat was already gone before the Joker fell in."

"Son of a bitch!" Gordon heatedly muttered.

"If it's any consolation, sir, the Joker is dead," the CSU techie said. "Once he hit that water--well, if the fall alone didn't kill him, then being swept out to sea by the raging currents down there would have."

"Excuse me, but do you have any idea who the hell it is we're dealing with here?" Gordon asked him. "In addition to being one of the most dangerous men alive, that psycho bastard's also got more lives than a damned cat! I will not consider him dead until you dump his damn body right on my desk, understand?"

"Yes sir," the CSU man said anxiously. "We'll keep searching the area for any clues either way, sir."

"That's the spirit, son," Gordon said. But as he watched the CSU team redouble their efforts to search the factory, Gordon still had a sinking feeling that their efforts would be for naught.

**B&B**

The morning sunlight streamed into the high windows of the examination room as Dr. George Huang stood regarding his patient quietly.

Dr. Harley Quinn had been once regarded as one of the finest psychiatrists in the nation--and yet today she sat in the corner of the room, barefoot, clad in white pajama bottoms with a matching color straight jacket that bound her arms into a folded position across her chest. Her blond hair was tangled and unkempt, and she swayed back and forth as she hummed what sounded to Huang like a children's nursery song.

'What the hell happened to you?' Huang wondered, fascinated. 'What turned a promising young doctor with a great future ahead of her into…this?'

"Harley, do you hear me?" he asked.

"I don't speak to ghosts," Harley said, nodding her head like a little girl who remembered an important fact.

"Do you think I'm a ghost?" Huang said.

"You're all ghosts," Harley said. Then she giggled. "When the Joker first told me that, I thought he was being silly. But then he proved it to me. Once I saw it for myself, I realized that it was true. The world is filled with ghosts."

"Are you saying the world is filled with dead people?" Huang asked.

"No, just ghosts. Dead people are dead, like Billy Thurmond. He's deader than a doornail." Harley giggled once more.

'Billy Thurmond--he was one of the interns killed when Joker made his escape,' Huang thought, as he quickly reviewed the file on the deceased man. "Do you think it's funny that Billy is dead, Harley?"

"Yes. Because the Joker cut him a nice big smile, from ear to ear, right under his chin. You see, Billy went to his grave smiling!"

"Billy recently celebrated his fifteen wedding anniversary," Huang said pointedly. "Plus, he also has a baby boy who will now never know his father. How does that make you feel, Harley?"

"Very good, because Billy was like everybody else, a ghost--and by killing him, he's in a much better place now. You see, Mister J has taken away the misery of Billy's existence."

"Do you consider yourself a ghost, as well, Harley?"

She shook her head. "I'm not like the rest of you. I'm special, like the Joker. We're the only two real people in this ghost world."

Huang leaned forward. "You do know that the Joker is dead, don't you?"

The grin that formed on Harley's face sent a chill down Huang's back--perhaps because it was so similar to the horrific grin of the Joker. "He's not dead."

"How do you know that?"

"I feel it," she replied, still smiling. "I still feel him, out there, somewhere. And I know that my Mister J will one day come for me--and when he does, we shall kill all of you, everybody in the whole world, and we shall then become the king and queen of the dead." She burst into giggles. "We'll dance on your corpses, and oh, how your bones will crack beneath our dancing feet!"

She was still laughing hysterically long after Huang left her alone in the room.

**B&B**

As Olivia coldly watched the laughing Harley through the two way mirror, Dr. Huang entered the room with a weary expression on his face.

Rachel, who stood in-between Olivia and Huang, said, "I take it she's not fit to stand trial?"

"You've got that right," Huang said. "She's so deluded, living in her own little fantasy world, that it's fair to say she'll never stand trial at this rate."

"Medication can't help her?" Olivia asked.

"It will help control her, nothing more," Huang said. "She's too far gone, Olivia. It looks like she'll become an inmate in the very same asylum where she once served as a doctor."

"I'll be happy with that," Olivia said with a satisfied nod.

Yet Rachel appeared uneasy. "How did she get like this? Did the Joker make her go crazy?"

"You mean she caught his insanity?" Huang said with a shake of his head. "Most likely, Dr. Quinn had latent psychotic tendencies all along. The Joker was simply the trigger that brought them to the surface."

"At least it's over," Olivia said with a sigh.

"Don't be so sure," Rachel solemnly said. "Last I heard, they're still having trouble finding the Joker's body."

"Yeah, I know," Olivia said. "But at least for Harley, it's all over."

As she gazed at the still-laughing Harley Quinn, something occurred to Olivia. 'This nightmare began with Harley wearing nothing but a straightjacket,' she thought. 'And now it ends with her back in a straightjacket once more. Talk about poetic justice.'

"You ok, Liv?" Huang asked. "If you don't mind my saying, you seem a little out of it."

"It's been a rough weekend, I guess," Olivia said with a sigh.

"You should take some time off," Rachel told her. "Starting right now."

"I will. The boss told me to do the same thing," Olivia said, referring to Gordon's prior orders for her to take a few days off. "I just needed to see Harley here, in custody, for some reason."

"You needed some closure," Huang said with an understanding nod. "But it's really high time for you to take some time off, Liv. Just relax and kick back for a bit."

"I intend to," Olivia said. "Starting tonight. Alex and I are having a little get-together at out place at, say, seven? You two are more than invited. Rachel, you can bring Bruce."

"I'd love to!" Huang said with a grin. "Thanks, Liv!"

"Yes, I'll be there as well," Rachel said, with a slight frown. "But how did you know about Bruce and me?"

Olivia smiled at her. "I'm a detective, Rachel; I'm paid to notice the small details."

**B&B**

"I don't believe it," Sam Spade whispered to Casey. "It looks like they actually took your advice and got a room!"

Casey smiled at Woody and Jordan, who sat snuggled up like lifelong lovers on the sofa in the living room of Olivia and Alex's condo. "I should quit my job and become a match-maker."

Fin leaned in and said, "Maybe you can finally find somebody suitable for Munch."

"No, don't jinx her like that," Munch scolded him. "My love life, as feeble as it is, would be too much even for Casey's considerable talents."

Olivia laughed at Munch's joke, as she marveled at the crowd that had gathered in her home. Since the police convention had ended, she and Alex had expected most of their friends--both new and old--to have already left Gotham City and returned to their homes. Yet everybody was more than happy to stay over one more night just to attend their get-together.

The party didn't seem complete without Harvey and Renee, but Olivia and Alex saw them earlier today when they visited Renee in the hospital. Olivia was grateful to see Renee was already doing much better, and would be released in a few days.

When she entered the kitchen, Olivia found Cragen in there, holding an empty plate and looking around in wonderment as to what to do with it.

"Just put it in the sink, Don," Olivia told him. "I'll take care of it later."

After Cragen was finished, he came up to her, snapped off a salute, and jokingly said, "Any further orders for me, Inspector?"

While Olivia appreciated his joke, the thought that she now outranked the man whom she thought of as a father figure filled her with sadness. "Oh, Don…."

Cragen took her into his arms. "Don't fret, Olivia. You're doing the right thing. We'll miss you, of course. But you still made the right choice. Believe me, Gordon knew what he was doing when he put you in charge of this SVU squad."

"I keep getting panic attacks whenever I remind myself that I'm running a squad of detectives," Olivia admitted. "Do you have any advice for me?"

"Just be yourself, Olivia," Cragen told her. "Just be the kind-hearted, compassionate and resourceful detective whom I've always known, and I guarantee that SVU squad of yours will be in great hands. And remember, if you ever need anything--even if you just want to talk, I'm only a phone call away."

"Thanks, Don, I appreciate it," Olivia said.

Olivia stayed in the kitchen, cleaning up a bit, after Cragen rejoined the party. Just as she was about to rejoin the festivities herself, Olivia nearly bumped into Dani Beck, who appeared lost.

"Sorry," Dani said sheepishly, her voice tinged with that distinctive Dutch accent that Olivia found so charming. "I thought this led directly to the living room."

"Not a problem," Olivia said. "You know, I'm really glad to have finally met you, Dani."

"Same here," she replied, smiling. "Elliot's told me so much about you, I feel like I know you already."

They both glanced out at Elliot, who sat talking animatedly with Gordon, his wife, Jack Malone and Jimmy Olsen.

"Dani, would you please do me a favor?" Olivia said, as she watched her former partner. "Take care of him, would you? Watch his back for me."

"Always," Dani promised. "And you watch your back, too. Gotham City's a crazy town."

"You can say that again," Lois Lane muttered, on her way to use the bathroom.

"I take it you didn't have fun in our fair city, Lois?" Olivia called after her with a smile.

"If you consider nearly getting killed by the Joker, getting kidnapped by the Riddler, and then being threatened by a horde of killer robots to be fun, then--oh yeah, I had a blast!" Lois shot back from the bathroom door way.

"I've got to admit that I can't wait to get back to New York City," Dani said. "All the superheroes here can be a little hard to take after a while. I'm just glad you didn't invite any to the party tonight!"

'You have no idea how wrong you are,' Olivia thought, as she gazed with a smile at Bruce Wayne--who, along with Rachel, sat chatting with Clark Kent and his young cousin Linda. 'If you knew the Batman sat just a few feet away from you, you'd probably freak, my dear Dani.'

Barbra detached herself from the conversation her parents were having with the other guests and walked up to Olivia with the awkward gait of somebody who did something very wrong. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Olivia, there's something I need to tell you…."

"If you'll excuse me," Dani said, sensing her cue to leave. "I'm gonna try a piece of that delicious-looking coffee cake you've got set out on the table."

"What is it, honey?" Olivia asked Barbra, as she escorted the solemn girl into the kitchen.

"I-I…" Barbra began, unable to say the words. Then she braced herself and said, "I don't want to be a cop anymore, Olivia. I'm sorry! I hope I haven't offended you."

"Oh, Barbra, don't be silly," Olivia said, as she bent down and scooped the girl up into a hug. "You can be whatever you want to be. Whatever makes you happy, will make me happy." Olivia realized, not without some irony, that Elliot had basically said the same thing to her. "Have you decided what you want to be, instead?"

"Um, not yet," Barbra replied, with a wide-eyed look that revealed she knew more than what she was saying. "Thanks for understanding, Liv."

"Anytime, sweetie," Olivia told her. As she watched Barbra rejoin her parents--after making a side trip to the snack table, where Dani cut a slice of coffee cake for her--Alex came over, looking casual yet still classy in dark dress jeans with a v-neck sweater.

"What did Barbra want?" Alex asked.

"Actually, it's more what she didn't want," Olivia said. "She came over to tell me that she no longer wants to be a cop. She felt so guilty about it, poor thing."

"She's so sweet," Alex replied, smiling.

Olivia wrapped her arm around Alex's waist as they both surveyed the party.

"This was a great idea," Olivia said.

"What? The party?"

"That, and everything else," Olivia replied, smiling. "Being here, in Gotham City, with you."

"If we can just avoid getting kidnapped every five minutes, then it'll be just like heaven," Alex said sardonically.

"I'll face whatever comes," Olivia said, "just as long as I've got you by my side."

Olivia and Alex ducked into a corner where they stole a passionate kiss.

**Epilogue One **_Barbra Gordon_

They had just returned from Olivia and Alex's party, and Jim Gordon was about to go into the bedroom to change out of his suit when he heard his wife quietly call his name. "Jim, come here."

She stood by the doorway of their daughter's bedroom, gesturing silently for him to come over.

When he did, Jim peered into Barbra's bedroom and saw the girl was lying on her stomach on her bed, drawing intently on a sketch pad.

"She's been drawing non-stop for the past few days, now," his wife said excitedly. "I think she's going to become an artist."

Jim nodded his head in satisfaction. He was still feeling joyous from when Barbra gave him the news that she no longer wanted to be a cop a few days ago. "Thank God," he said, as he gratefully watched Barbra continue to draw. "Let her be whatever she wants, now. As long as it doesn't involve doing anything dangerous."

**B&B**

'No, that's not right,' Barbra thought, as she erased the bottom of the cape. 'It should be a little shorter.'

After she made the adjustment, Barbra looked over her drawing. It was that of a young woman dressed in a black bodysuit with a cape and a small bat emblem on her chest. Barbra frowned when she looked over the cowl, thinking there wouldn't be enough room for her long red hair.

'Maybe if we had an opening in the back of the cowl,' Barbra thought, as she quickly drew it, 'then my hair could flow out the back. Yeah, that's it.'

Barbra liked the design she made for what would one day be her own Batsuit. Yet she knew that a costume alone wouldn't be enough; if she truly wanted to help the Batman in his eternal fight against the forces of evil, then she would have to be prepared in other ways, as well. She would have to take self defense classes, such as judo, kick-boxing and karate. And she should also study up on criminology, learning how to detect clues and understanding the patterns behind the criminal and psychopathic mind.

Once she was ready, Barbra would truly be worthy to one day stand beside Batman as his partner, his equal, and--hopefully--his lover.

"Batman and Batgirl," Barbra whispered. She smiled, really liking how that sounded.

**Epilogue Two **_Harvey Dent_

_The following day._

"You damned bitch!" Harvey Dent roared. Half of his face was covered with a bandage. "You're trying to destroy me, aren't you?! YOU'RE ALL TRYING TO DESTROY ME!!!"

Bruce pulled a startled Rachel back from the hospital bed as two burly orderlies rushed in and quickly tightened the restraints on the former district attorney. The doctor also entered the room and ordered a nurse to prepare a sedative for the riled up patient.

"The evidence against Rupert Thorne turned out to be fabricated by the Riddler," Rachel cried. "I had no choice but to let Thorne go! Please understand, Harvey!"

"You're working with him, aren't you?" Dent snarled at her, his one uncovered eye glaring at Rachel with pure hatred. "You're all working with the Batman in an attempt to ruin my life's work! Well, I won't let you! I'll stop you all! You hear me?! I WILL STOP YOU ALL!!!"

"What does the Batman have to do with this?" Rachel asked, stunned.

"Rachel, come on," Bruce said, as he escorted her out of the hospital room.

They walked a ways down the hall until they came to a quiet corner. Bruce held her close to him and said, "Are you all right?"

Rachel was obviously rattled, there was no doubt about that, but she quickly recovered. "Dear God, what happened to him? I-I've never seen him in such a rage like that!"

"Given what he's been through, I suppose it's understandable," Bruce told her. Yet Bruce wasn't sure he believed his own words. He realized he was no doctor, but there was still something drastically wrong about this situation, about Harvey.

As if to prove his instinct right, both he and Rachel were startled by a loud howl of rage that echoed from down the hallway. Several more orderlies came running down as the doctor stuck his head out of the room in a panic and yelled, "Get in here! He's breaking through the restraints!"

"One day he's fine, the next he's a raving monster. If this erratic behavior keeps up, we're going to have to move him to the psychiatric ward," another doctor said, as she joined her colleague in Dent's hospital room.

Bruce was stunned when he realized that howl of primal fury had come from Harvey. He shared a look of total disbelief with Rachel before they both resumed walking down the hallway to the elevators. As Rachel hit the button for the elevator, Bruce cast one last gaze down the hallway.

He couldn't help but shake the ominous feeling that this dire situation would only grow worse.

**Epilogue Three **_The Justice Society_

"Where are you taking me?" Rachel asked.

Olivia merely smiled at her. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course," Rachel quickly replied. "But what's with the cloak and dagger stuff? Why can't you just tell me?"

"You'll see," Olivia said, as they emerged from the elevator onto the main administrative floor of the Gotham City Police Headquarters.

Rachel wearily shook her head. It had been a long, draining day for her as the new DA. First she had to cut that bastard Rupert Thorne loose because of the false evidence--and to top it off, once he had been freed, Thorne set up a news conference where he announced his intention to sue the District Attorney's Office for wrongful imprisonment.

The arraignment of the Riddler on multiple charges also didn't go as smoothly as Rachel wanted, mainly because the federal government was trying to muscle in on the city's case. The Feds were eager to indict the Riddler under the newly created anti-terrorism laws. And Rachel agreed that the Feds could have the Riddler--but only after Gotham City was done with him. Between the city, state and now federal charges he was looking at, the Riddler could easily expect to spend the rest of his life in jail.

And just as Rachel was leaving the office for the day, looking forward to relaxing at home, Olivia had met up with her, giving Rachel only the cryptic message of "There's something very important I need you to see. Please come with me."

"You know my birthday's not for another three months," Rachel informed Olivia. "So if this is a surprise party, you guys are the ones who'll be surprised."

Olivia merely grinned at her as she held open the door to Commissioner Gordon's office for her. Rachel noted that Gordon's secretary was gone for the day.

When she entered Gordon's office, she saw Gordon leaning up against the front of his desk. Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya sat on the sofa across from him. Although her arm was in a sling, Montoya was looking much better since she had been released from the hospital.

"Good evening, Rachel," Gordon said, smiling. "Welcome to our little group."

"What group?" Rachel asked suspiciously.

"We've got sort of an unofficial group going here," Olivia explained. "We get together every now and then to discuss problems without dealing with the hassle of red tape."

"There's no rank, and we all refer to each other by our first names," Renee added. "It's completely informal, and you've been invited to join."

"Your former boss, Harvey Dent, was a member," Bullock said. "But that was before--well, you know…."

"How is Harvey doing?" Gordon asked. "I heard you saw him today."

"Yeah. He's not doing too well," Rachel said. "Physically, he's out of the woods, but his injuries have made him enraged and paranoid. It looks like he's got a very long road to recovery." She shook her head in sadness. "So am I to understand that it'll be just the five of us who'll be meeting like this?"

"Actually, there's a sixth member," Gordon said. "But he's running late."

"So what else is new?" Harvey Bullock muttered in disgust. "Wonder what his excuse will be this time?"

"There was an attempted mugging on Riverview drive," a voice spoke from the darkness.

Rachel spun around and saw the Batman emerge from the darkness.

"Did you stop it?" Harvey asked.

"I did say it was an _attempted_ mugging, did I not?" Batman retorted.

"Rachel, I assume you know the Batman," Gordon said.

'Do I ever!' Rachel thought with a smile, as she recalled the delicious shower she shared with Bruce last night. Of course she kept that to herself. "Yes, of course I do. Hello, Batman."

"Ms. Dawes." Batman nodded in greeting at her. "Have you decided to join our group?"

"Yes, I have," she replied. Rachel glanced at everyone in turn and said, "Thank you all for inviting me."

"Great. Now that that's taken care of, let's get down to business, shall we?" Gordon said, as he placed a tape into a VCR. "I've got some news on the missing loot from the SCD robbery of the Ancient Treasures Exhibit."

"I've heard about that," Olivia said, as she and Rachel took a seat next to each other. "Something like several hundred thousand dollars worth of treasure is still reported missing, isn't it?"

"Actually, the figure is more like 2.5 million," Batman corrected.

"With all of the chaos that went on with the robot attacks, I'm surprised they managed to recover as much as they did," Rachel commented.

"Yeah, well, here's the reason why there's 2.5 million worth of treasure missing," Gordon said, as he gestured at the TV set.

When the image came on, Rachel saw that it was a surveillance video of the Ancient Treasure Exhibition. She was stunned--and thrilled--to see Superman battling the SCDs, easily taking them down one by one. But as the Man Of Steel moved out of range of the camera, intensely concentrated on the battle, another figure appeared from the darkness.

It was a woman, clad in a skin-tight outfit that left little to the imagination. She wore a mask over her face that was shaped in a stylized version of a cat and carried a sack that bulged with treasure over one shoulder. When she saw the camera, she unfurled a whip from around her slender waist and expertly snapped it, hitting the camera and instantly killing the image.

"Catwoman!" Olivia cried.

"She's back," Batman said.

Rachel was startled at the amount of dread that she heard in his voice. 'He sounds like he's actually afraid of her!' she thought with shock.

Rachel turned to ask Batman what he knew about her--only to discover the Dark Knight was already gone. 'He's already left to hunt her down!'

Gordon had rewound the tape back to a freeze-frame of Catwoman cracking her whip, and Rachel glared at the image of this mysterious woman, wondering what kind of a person she was to deserve the level of respect that she received from the Batman.

**Epilogue Four **_Bruce and Alfred_

"Rough night, sir?" Alfred asked.

Bruce nodded, as he wearily sat on the chair in front of the main console in the Batcave. He had shorn his Batsuit in favor of jeans and a t-shirt. "Catwoman's back. She stole a bundle of loot during the confusion of the SCD attack on the Ancient Treasures Exhibit."

Alfred nodded in understanding. "And I take it she's still at large."

"Unfortunately, yes. I've just spent the better part of the night trying to track her down, but her trail's already gone cold." He let out a disgusted sigh. "Just when we've finished dealing with one batch of crazies, another bunch comes in to take their place. Looks like Batman won't be getting a night off anytime soon."

"That is where you're wrong, sir," Alfred said, as he held up a sheet of paper. "We've just received this today. The Wayne Foundation will be sponsoring a night at the circus for disadvantaged children in one month's time. Your presence as Bruce Wayne will be required that evening."

"A night at the circus, huh?" Bruce said with a frown. "I think I'd rather be dealing with Catwoman."

"For your information, sir, the Magic Lantern Circus has many splendid acts in its company, one of which is a family of acrobats who are world renown."

"Really? Does this family of acrobats have a name?"

"Yes," Alfred, replied, as he consulted the sheet. "They're called the Flying Graysons."

"Never heard of them," Bruce said. "Still, it does sound like it'll be an interesting evening. I can't wait."

**Epilogue Five **_Elliot and Dani_

"Now this is more like it!" Dani said, as she gazed lovingly out at the streets of New York from the passenger seat of their squad car.

"Yeah," Elliot replied, smiling. "Gotham City was fun. But it's great to be back home!"

"Oh, that's not the half of it," Dani said. "It's New York! No superheroes, no super villains with crazy schemes to rule the world; just regular, average people living on the gritty streets of the greatest city in the world."

"Somebody sure sounds like she really missed the Big Apple," Elliot said with a chuckle.

Dani let ot a gasp when she witnessed a woman getting her purse stolen by a thief who ran down the street. "Elliot!"

"Yeah, I saw him! Hang on!" Elliot said, as he spun the car down the street to give chase. When the robber ducked into an alleyway, Elliot pulled over to the curb. "Dani, wait for me!"

But Dani was already out of the car, her baton in hand, giving chase to the purse snatcher--who managed to elude her for the moment. But it was nothing she couldn't handle; Dani was back in her element: chasing down scuzzbuckets. It was a task that was real and tangible for her--something that made perfect sense and that she did very well. She really liked and admired Olivia, but she could have Gotham City; Dani would take chasing down a piece of scum like this in any old back alley anyday over dealing with Batman, and Superman, and whatever other superhero was out there. She was all for dealing with nice, normal criminals.

'Thank God for New York City,' Dani thought, 'for always keeping it real.'

Dani frowned when she came to a dead end. 'Wait, where is he?'

"Where did he go?" Elliot asked, as he came up behind her.

"I don't know," Dani replied, perplexed. "He didn't double back on me, and he couldn't have climbed this wall."

Elliot abruptly stared at something above them in shock. "Dani, look up."

When Dani glanced above them, she was stunned to see their perp was hanging upside-down from the fire escape. His whole body was trussed up with some sort of sticky rope, which even covered his mouth. He gave them an imploring look as he swung gently back and forth in the late Spring breeze.

Before Dani could even ask what was going on, she was further stunned to see the purse that the man had stolen being slowly lowered right in front of her face at the end of a strand of the sticky rope.

"There's your bad guy, _and_ the purse he stole," a man's voice called to them from above.

When Dani and Elliot glanced at the source of the voice, they saw a man standing perfectly upright sideways on the brick wall of the building to their left. He wore a red and blue outfit with a mask that covered his entire head and he waved a gloved hand at them. There was a black spider emblem on his chest.

"And he's all yours," the masked man cheerfully told them, "courtesy of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man!"

With that, the man crawled--he actually crawled on all fours--right up the side of the building. When he reached the very top, he held out an arm, and another strand of that sticky rope--Dani guessed it was some kind of webbing--shot out of his hand and attached itself to the building down the street. Spider-Man then effortlessly swung down the canyon of buildings like a modern day Tarzan swinging on vines through the jungle.

Elliot and Dani continued to stare after Spider-Man long after he was gone. When they heard a panicked mumbling, they glanced up at the captured perp, who--unable to speak, thanks to the webbing over his mouth--pleaded with them with his eyes to get him down.

"Spider-Man?" Elliot said in total disbelief.

"Oh well," Dani muttered, after a heavy sigh. "There goes the neighborhood…."

**The End.**


End file.
